All is Fair in Love and War
by HAWTgeek
Summary: Charlie is the daughter of Percy and Annabeth Jackson, grandaughter of Athena and Poseidon, and the younger sister of legendary Noah Jackson. This summer, Charlie is trying to make her own name,and she got that and more than she could imagine when the latest prophecy proves to be for her. No matter how much her friends and family fight for her, will she be able to escape the fates?
1. Chapter 1

_**Charlie,**_

"Oh, you have to take this!" my best friend, Emily-Rose, snapped up a pair of jeans from my closet and threw them in my duffle, which was almost full thanks to her.

Emily-Rose and I had been best friends for as long as I could remember. Her dad, Grover, had been best friends with my parents when they were younger, and our moms had been excited when they found out they were pregnant at the same time. Our moms went in labor on the same day. Since I was born at midnight, Emily-Rose was born on May 3rd and me on May 4th.

And, in the last few years, we had done almost everything together.

Including Camp Half-Blood.

It was our second year going, and I was determined that I was going to have a better summer than last year.

Yes, I had fun and everything. But I was always my parents' kid.

My mother was Annabeth Chase/Jackson. She was the co-owner of Mt. Olympus Architectural Company, and she was the architect of Olympus.

My father was Percy Jackson. He was the child of prophecy who won the second Titan War and defeated Kronos, the one who became Praetor of New Rome, the one who fell into Tartus with my mother because he never wanted to leave her, and the one who defeated Gaea.

And my older brother was Noah Jackson. He had gone through his own quests and had earned his name there. He was also now a professional soccer player.

It was hard to live up to their legends, and it got even worse when it accidentally came out that I was most likely the child of the next big prophecy…

"I think I am going to borrow this. Does it go with my hair?" Emily-Rose held up one of the many dresses my grandmother had given me. I was her only granddaughter, and she adored finally having someone to give dresses and shoes and jewelry. But it was also kind of annoying since my closet was filling up with little blue dresses.

Emily-Rose was an odd girl I had to admit.

Her hair was red and curly, and she usually kept it in a black beanie. Her eyes were dark green like an evergreen, and her skin was light green, though you didn't notice unless it was winter or when she blushed because her cheeks turned green instead of red.

I wasn't sure why she looked weirder in our school uniform of a pair of blue pants and a polo, but she did. She looked more normal when she was in her lucky jeans with flowers on the bottom and a tee shirt for whatever nature charity she supported this month.

"Sure," I shrugged, not really paying attention as I threw in another pair of sneakers, and I hesitated with a pack of _Slim Jims_, "Hey, are you still vegan?"

"Nah, I found out you couldn't have pizza," she popped a piece of strawberry gum in her mouth.

I looked over my list again, and I made sure I had everything for zipping up my bag.

"Breakfast!" my dad called from the kitchen.

"Oooh, Uncle Percy's French Toast," Emily-Rose rushed out of my room and towards the kitchen.

I followed after her, and I saw the typical scene.

My brother moved out a year ago for soccer, and I still wasn't used to it. I kept waiting for him to come out of his room without his shirt as he clumsily made his way to the breakfast table.

Noah was six years older than me, and he wasn't my full brother.

It was a long story, and I knew my parents hadn't told me all of it. But I had most of the important parts.

My parents had been best friends as kids, and they started dating when they were teenagers. They moved in with each other when they graduated college, and my dad was about to propose to my mom when they had a fight. She left, and he went out with his best friend and got a little drunk. My mom and my dad got back together, but everything was suddenly changed when he got a call from his old college friend saying that she was pregnant with his baby.

He broke up with my mom and never told her why. A lot of things continued after that, but they usually skipped to the next part.

"And then your father and I started dating again, and we knew we wanted to have you _so much_. We moved in together, ready to get married and try for a wonderful baby like you. But, right as your father proposed, we found out that we were _already_ blessed with a beautiful baby girl. And we got married, and, on May 4th, the most amazing little girl joined our family," is what my mom used to tell me.

"Good morning, Charlie," my mom smiled, putting her blueprints away and taking a sip of her coffee.

My mom was beautiful, I had to admit.

She had aged perfectly. Her hair was golden blonde and still long and curly, and she had it in a perfect ponytail today. She was tall and lean, and there were people who spend a fortune on surgery to have a face as beautiful as she did.

Everyone said I looked like her, and I really prayed that I would.

I wasn't ugly.

I had my mother's blonde curls, and I had inherited my father's sea green eyes. I was tall, though I felt short compared to my brother and father. And I had my mother's lips and my father's cheekbones. But I still felt awkward and young.

I was caught between being that cute kid in all those pictures on the wall and being the woman I know I can be, not that my father is up for the latter.

"So, I didn't know you slept over," my father handed us each a plate of French Toast, and Emily-Rose shrugged.

"Actually, speaking about that, I gotta go. I have to finish packing, and my mom wants us all three of her little flowers home before we go to camp," Emily-Rose told my parents, hurriedly eating a piece of French Toast as she rolled her eyes.

Her mother, who was a tree nymph, had referred to Emily-Rose as her flower from before she was born, and she had called the twins that came after her the little flowers, too.

"I can drive you," my mom offered, but Emily-Rose shook her head.

"My dad said he would pick me up-" before Emily Rose could finish that sentence, I heard the familiar sound of Uncle Grover's car honking, "That's him. I will text you later."

Emily-Rose hugged me and slung her satchel over her shoulder, quickly saying goodbye to my parents.

"So, are you already for Camp?" my mom turned to me, unwrapping her hands from the coffee mug to try to stop me from noticing that her hands were shaking.

I knew why she was shaking, and I knew why my father was going into overdrive to make sure that he was a good dad. I knew why my older brother was suddenly more overprotective, and I could tell what was wrong in my family's eyes when they looked at me.

It had been there since I was seven years old. It was my first incident. We were in Bermuda for a family vacation over the summer, and I still remember it perfectly. I had my legs dangling on the edge of the pool, and the moment was perfect.

Then all of a sudden, the almost empty pool began to feel charged. But I didn't notice. I didn't notice the swarming clouds, though people hurried out of the pool for it. I laughed at my brother as my mom made him get out to put on his sunscreen. Maybe it was just to make him mad, but I dove straight into the water. I suddenly felt myself getting pulled down, the force of the water too strong for me, and the water coming together produced sparks. And my blood fought for control of my body.

I screamed with all my might under the water, and I thrashed against it, scared to death. I could feel my blood fighting me, and I heard my parents screaming above, my brother and father trying to die out everything. But then the worst thing happened.

As I closed my eyes, I could see her, staring at me as she twirled around a dagger on a marble sacrificial altar. She would have been beautiful if she hadn't been so cruel. Her hair was black and swept down her back, curly like the girl from _Brave._ One eye was olive green and the other brown. She was tall and graceful, wearing a sweeping Greek gown. She let out a beckoning wave, and, the next thing I knew, my eyes opened again and the water was fine.

Ever since then, my grandfather had given me special protection the water, giving me blessing after blessing. But then she got with Arachne and came to me in the form of a herd of spiders. She always finds another way to do it, and my parents could no longer keep the secret.

They finally told me that I was the Chosen One, and, while they would never say it, I knew I would have to meet her one day…

For now, I pretended not to know.

"Yup, all packed," I took a big bite of my French Toast.

_**Kate,**_

Waking up in your childhood room is something I am still not used to.

When I packed up for college, I was kind of happy to leave my old room. I wanted new memories. I wanted a new life. I wanted to make something new of Katherine Moore, and I knew that getting out of this room would help me.

This room held old memories of slumber parties, fights, tears, and big smiles. This room was my old life before college. This room was the old Katherine Moore, and I felt like all of my progress was suddenly stopping and reversing.

Most people would like being home and hanging out in your old bedroom, and I probably would have if it hadn't been for him…

Noah Jackson.

It was just a name. Two words. He was just a person.

But it wasn't like that..

I had known him since I was three years old.

He wasn't just a part of my life. He _was_ my life.

When we were ten, he taught me the butterfly, which was my star stroke when I was on the swim team. He was the one to get my knees to unfreeze when I walked into my middle school class for the first time and when I walked into my high school class for the first time. He taught me how to drive when I was sixteen. He let me cry on his shoulder when I went through my first broken heart, and I had been there for him through everything, too.

For the longest time, we were family. We accepted the fact that my aunt married his father years ago, and we saw each other as cousins.

But then my older brother, Sam, who was two years older than me and a year older than Noah, graduated high school and started playing soccer.

For a year there, it was just me and Noah.

Something happened that year.

To this day, I still can't figure out what happened or _when_ it happened.

I couldn't even realize it until I was deep to ever escape.

If it hadn't been for his little sister Charlie, I may not have ever realized it.

No matter how much I tried to block it out, I could remember everything.

Noah kept thanking me for watching Charlie, who was about eleven then, as I tied his tie. When his cell phone rang with an alert that he would be late, he quickly kissed my cheek and the top of my head as he got everything to leave. He thanked me again, and he was off.

That was the night of his senior prom, and I had been asked by a senior. But I had opted to stay home and watch Charlie.

Things were going fine until Charlie popped a movie in the DVD player and I looked on Facebook. My heart stopped beating as I looked at the picture posted by one of my friends, Nick.

I had known Noah's date was pretty, but I had never seen her like this. Her blonde hair was in a perfect bun with a curly strand on each side falling out. Her eyes were as blue as the sea and her teeth as white as pearls. Her dress fit her slim and perfect body perfectly, and she had a Prom Queen crown fixed on the top of her head. She was laughing with Noah, her arm slung around him, and he was smiling…

"Why are you here, Kate?" Charlie asked, and my eyes flew up to her, still shocked by the picture.

"What are you talking about, Charlie?"

"You could be at the Prom right now. At Prom with one of the hottest guys in your school, and you're here with me," Charlie was making a point, and I didn't like it.

"I like you."

"You didn't do this for me, Kate. You know who you did this for…"

Charlie was right.

Noah had asked me if I could babysit his little sister, and I pushed away all of my

And I couldn't stand it.

When he left for soccer at the end of that summer, I hugged him tightly, and I promised him that I would keep in touch. But I knew I couldn't.

I couldn't be like this anymore. I needed to get away from him, I needed to not depend on someone who will always see me as a little sister for my happiness. I needed a new life, and I needed it before I was too deep to do anything. When I left, I thought that there might be a day when we could both just be friends again…

I doubted it would ever come.

I built a life. I made new friends my senior year. I had new boyfriends. I went to college as creative writing major, and I made new friends there, too.

But, in the middle of the night, I still found myself stopping and staring at my laptop, wondering what he was doing. After a while, I caved into the temptation, and I crawled to my computer, careful not to wake-up my roommate, Adriane, and I surfed through Facebook just to see him again…

This morning, I felt an itch to do it again, but I shook my head, sitting up in bed. I slid out of my bed, and I stomped over to my closet as I let out a big yawn. I changed into my sweatpants and a tank top in case my parents got home early so I wouldn't get that look and shake of the head they gave me when they saw me still in my pajamas. Pulling my hair into a new ponytail, I started downstairs.

My brother was getting ready for his soccer game, and he hadn't been here in three months. My parents were up there with him, and I had opted to stay home instead and work on my writing.

I thought it would be nice to finally have some peace and quiet, but it quickly proved to be harder than I expected. This place didn't feel right silent. It needed… _noise._

As I turned on the toaster, I went back to the couch where I left my laptop plugged in last night.

I opened my email account, and I smiled wide.

_SoccerGuy18._

He was my online penpal, and he was the reason I hadn't lost my mind long ago.

We had an agreement. No real names. No exact situations. And no places.

We both kept to it, and I honestly didn't care as long as I still had him.

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**Almost packed for camp.**

**It feels so quiet here. I thought it would be nice to spend some time at home, back in my old room with my old stuff. But I can't look at anything and not think about Green. He was there for my entire life…**

**I don't think I have ever been so thankful that my time at home was up. This was my favorite place for so long…**

**Anyway, are you all packed for your summer?**

**-Pixar**

I closed my laptop again, and I raced to stop from burning the toast.

_**Noah,**_

I took a long shower, trying to wash away the stink of my constant practices.

I had been practicing nonstop for the last two weeks getting ready for this game. When the coach pulled me aside and informed me that Sam and I were going to be his main players in the game, we had gone into overdrive to prepare.

Every morning now, some new part of my body was soar.

"Noah, stop being such a girl! I need a shower, too!" Sam banged on the bathroom door. I rolled my eyes and powered off the shower, reaching for the towel hanging on the rack.

Sam and I had been best friends since I was five and he six. We were both on the same soccer team as kids, and we were both on the same professional soccer team now. He was also technically my cousin after my father married his aunt.

We both shared a two bedroom apartment, and, despite the two bathroom situation, he had always preferred my shower because it had better water pressure.

"Gods, Aunt Annabeth knows that you stink. She _raised_ you. You don't have to shower for hours for her," Sam pushed past me to get to the shower, and I had to bite my tongue.

Sam and I told each other everything. Well, _almost_ everything.

I had kept one little secret to myself.

If I would be trying to look (or smell) good for anyone, it would be for that.

His younger sister, Kate.

I hated how I felt for Kate.

She had been like my little other little sister. I had been there for her through everything, and she had been there for me through everything. I had always loved her, and we had always been close. But, until my senior year of high school, I had never felt anything more.

Now I did.

_Much_ more.

My time away from Kate (the time where she had done everything but lock me in another room away from her to avoid me) had made me miss her. And, somewhere in my misery, I found that it wasn't just a little crush on Kate. I loved her…

I loved her more and more by every day.

And the last two years had resulted in what felt like Kate had ripped a part out of my heart and held it for ransom.

I closed my eyes tightly to block out that thought, and I went to my bedroom.

I had gone for the bigger room while Sam went for the smaller one with the great view over the city. My step-mother had decorated my room with my favorite colors, green and blue. She had made the room look like my age despite how I had been afraid that she would make it like I was six, and she had even tracked down my first soccer ball and put it on a display next to a bunch of family pictures.

_Annabeth…_

My father had been best friends with her since he was twelve, and they started dating when they were sixteen. They had been through everything imaginable, and they had been ready to get married when they were about twenty-three. As usual when people move in together, they fought and had a big fight. She left for a while, and my father went out one night for a drink with his buddies, where he preceded to get completely wasted. That was when my mother, JoJo, came in.

After that, they agreed never to speak of it again, and my dad and Annabeth got back together. Then my dad got a call, and he left Annabeth. Nine months later, I was born.

My mom had majority of custody of me, though she was never a good mom. My dad got the majority custody of me with me spending one week a month with her when I was three. With the help of neighbor, Christine, I helped Annabeth and my father get back together.

A year later, I had a little sister, Charlie, and they were married.

Annabeth became my real mother, and I loved her as such.

I still loved my birth mother, though we were even less close now. She was in California, and she had been since I was eleven. When I was fourteen, she became wife number two to Henry Alexander, Annabeth's ex-fiance, and I had to admit they were a good match. They were always trying to look younger, be hipper, and go farther up the ladder of fame. And children weren't exactly their thing.

I was changing into a pair of sweatpants and my lucky tee shirt, throwing some laundry from the floor into my laundry basket, when Sam banged on my door.

"We're going to be late for practice!"

"Practice isn't for another hour!" I yelled back, running a towel through my soaking wet hair.

"For _extra_ practice! Gods, this is the big game!"

This was the big game.

Sam and I both wanted to work for Manchester United. We knew we could do it, we just had to do this right. And we were almost there. This game could determine our future.

"I'll be out in second," I walked over to my laptop, which was blinking with a new email.

**To: SoccerBoy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**Almost packed for camp.**

**It feels so quiet here. I thought it would be nice to spend some time at home, back in my old room with my old stuff. But I can't look at anything and not think about Green. He was there for my entire life…**

**I don't think I have ever been so thankful that my time at home was up. This was my favorite place for so long…**

**Anyway, are you all packed for your summer?**

**-Pixar**

I smiled with my new email, and I began to type back a response.

**To: PixarRules4**

**From: SoccerGuy18**

**All packed, and everything is already in my roommate's car.**

**Quiet sounds great compared to here.**

**I can't even get a shower without my Nat banging on my door telling me we'll be late for a practice that doesn't start for another hour. And it doesn't help that Dianna will be there, too.**

**I cant decide if I am excited or not.**

**Well, I better get to practice, good luck.**

**-SoccerGuy**

I pressed send.

As part of our deal, Pixar and I never used real names.

So Kate became Dianna and Sam became Nat.

"If you do not get in the car right now, I am driving off without you," Sam opened the door, leaning on the doorframe.

"Will you calm down?"

"No."

"Fine," I got up, picking up my gym bag as I followed him.

As I strapped into Sam's jeep, I couldn't decide what I was more nervous for.

Seeing Kate or the actual game…

* * *

**_Here is it! If you hadn't read _You've Got Mail_, this is a sequel about their children of _You've Got Mail_. I have tried to make it where you can read this without needing to read You've Got Mail, but it might be easier._**

**_;-D HAWTgeek ;-D_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Kate,**_

The game was easily won, though not too easily that it wasn't entertaining.

The after party though was more than the game three times over though. Everyone was cheering, though the players had gone off the field a long time ago. Drinks went around, and victory music blared from the speakers. Every fan was on their feet, dancing like it was the last time they ever could.

This was the first time the team had won this game in about twenty years, and you could tell just from one look at us.

I was screaming along to one of the songs with Adraine, my college roommate and best friend, when I suddenly looked beside me for Charlie and Emily-Rose. I was supposed to be watching them, and I had been since Aunt Annabeth and Percy went home. But now I had lost them.

Panic hit me, and I screamed their names, though you could barely hear yourself think much less talk.

Then I knew where they went.

Charlie wanted to see her brother, and, while she wasn't mischievous, Emily-Rose was. I took off through the crowds and managed to get into the locker room for the team. After having to chase Emily-Rose through the locker rooms, I finally them.

And I was right, they went to go see _Noah_.

I knew our first meeting after all this time would be kind of weird, but being in the men's locker room during that when he was just putting on a shirt didn't help much at all.

Things got easier though, and, before I knew it, we had survived our first week of camp.

And now here I stood, looking from the top of the hill by the temple.

The Camp was beautiful in the dwindling daylight. One way, the forest swept as far as they eye could see. Another way, there was the lake. To the next, I could see the camp, and, to the final way, I could see New Athens and the rolling strawberry fields. Everything was beautiful, and the light bounced off the Camp like something devine.

I was particularly attracted to New Athens.

I could see my Aunt Annabeth's and my father's touché in it.

Fifteen years ago, Chiron decided he wanted to build something like New Rome. It wasn't until ten years ago that Mt. Olympus Architectural company, which was owned by four children of Athena (such as my father and Aunt Annabeth), donated the money and the work.

Now, it was a thriving city. Romans and Greeks lived alongside each other. There was an urban area for the young adults, family homes, businesses for progress, and a college. It wasn't that populated, but Chiron expected many more people soon. It was my aunt's and father's favorite pastime.

It was weird to see buildings there that I had plopped down on my father's lap and watched him sketch out.

I loved this place, and I had since I had first been into New Athens.

But my eyes weren't on New Athens. They weren't on the strawberry fields or the tree nymphs playing in them. They weren't on the beautiful temple. They weren't on the camp or even the intimidating forest.

No, my eyes were on the two captains for this week's Capture the Flag.

I wanted to be on Charlie's team so much. I wasn't sure why.

She was thirteen, and I knew she knew how to take care of herself. But I felt something worrying me now, I just couldn't help it.

As my eyes occasionally shot over to Charlie, and it was hard to still see her as a child.

She still hadn't grown into herself yet. She was taller than most of the boys, and she had long curly blonde hair that she usually kept in a ponytail. Her eyes were sea green, and they had the descendant of Athena look about them, taking in everything. She was beautiful, a perfect mixture of her two gorgeous parents.

But I still saw her as that little toddler smiling and giggling all the time.

"Katherine Moore," someone called.

I looked back to Charlie, who motioned for me to go ahead.

I did, though I didn't really want to, and I took my spot next to Noah, who nudged me.

"Hey, Katey-Kat."

"You nervous to be out here?" I looked to him.

I had to admit I was.

I had been so out of it recently that I didn't know how I would fair tonight.

"A little, you?"

I nodded.

I was about to tell him about how I just knew something bad was going to happen, but then Sam got called for the other team, which made him make a face. Then it was our team's turn again.

"Charlotte Jackson!"

We all stared, our eyes wide, and everyone moved to make a path for the thirteen year old.

I wasn't sure who was more shocked, her or everyone else.

There was an order when it came to picking the members of a team.

You chose the older, more experienced and stronger people first just by nature. You worked your way through the age groups until you reached the end.

We were still in the 20-18 age group. We were nowhere near Charlie.

But here she was, slowly walking up to us. She tried to look like this was normal, natural even. But it wouldn't take a genius to know she was scared.

I smiled as I looked at her, trying not to embarrass her with a big thumbs up.

My older brother didn't have the same idea.

Noah rolled his eyes, and I felt embarrassment to call him my brother as Charlie took her place to stand beside me. She hid her face with her palm, and I put my arm around her, smiling weakly.

We continued to stand like that until the choosing was over, and we only moved when it came to the game plan.

There were only two descendants of Poseidon, at least right now, and they were stationed near the river where they thought they would be more useful, even though Noah was more talented than being able to control water. But I said nothing and took my target, son of Ares by the name of Pitt (for being as mean as a pit-bull from what I had heard). When it was time to go in, I made a beeline for the best weapon I could get my hands on for this.

"Nervous?" Charlie smirked as she reached for a sword, glancing at the bow and quiver on my back, the dagger on my belt, and the sword in my hand.

"Careful," I corrected.

"Sure, _careful_," Charlie rolled her eyes, and I playfully pushed her.

"Have fun by the river while I do some_ real_ stuff."

"Right because the most I will do is throw some water," Charlie pouted.

"You're still just a freshman, you know. You'll make your way up the ranks, just wait."

"Freshman. This is my _second year_."

"And this is my _seventh_. You have to give this camp some time, Shorty."

Charlie opened her mouth to protest, but it was time to make our way to the stations.

Charlie nodded towards the leader and smiled weakly at me.

"Good luck."

"You, too."

Before I could hug her like I wanted to, she was following her brother into the woods, and I was going the opposite direction. As I walked through the forest to get to my designated area that Pitt would be most likely to trust, I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something horrible was about to happen.

_**Noah,**_

The night was beginning to take over the sky, and I had to admit that it was beautiful.

The gurgling stream washed over the sounds of swords clashing far away. The leaves rustled, though mainly it was curious tree nymphs. Occasionally, I heard a stranger coming near me, but my the hilt of my sword fixed that.

It was pretty peaceful out here I had to admit.

It was a nice place to think, not that I wanted to think.

Thinking lead to home. Home lead to why I left home, soccer. Soccer lead to Sam. Sam lead to Kate. And Kate… well, Kate was a topic that was so expansive I couldn't get off of it.

It felt kind of wrong since she was technically my cousin, but, then again, Annabeth and my dad were technically sort of cousins, right?

To shake off those thoughts, I took out a pocket knife, and I was beginning to sharpen a thick stick. To make sure I didn't think about Kate, I thought about something else…

It was a question I had been thinking about since I was thirteen. It had eaten away at my childhood, and it had kept me in fear every time a prophecy stirred the camp. Through my own, it had kept me worried and scared as I wondered if she would go through this all.

I was nineteen now, and I was hardly a child. I lived on my own, though still near to my parents I guess. I had a job as a professional soccer player, and I hadn't been on a quest since Kate's quest three years ago. But it still kept me in fear.

_Could this really be the year?_ I wondered, _Will this be Charlie's year?_

I prayed not, but I knew it had to come one day.

Maybe it wasn't this year. Maybe it wasn't next year. Maybe it wasn't even the year after that.

But it was coming, and I could only sit and wait.

This was not something I did well, especially not with Charlie.

I had always been a rather hands-on overprotective brother. With my father and me, Charlie could had a fat chance of anything happening, and we hadn't even reached the stage of boys. Gods, I felt bad for whatever poor guy would try to date her with us around.

That I could do something about.

This was an entirely new matter, and, every year, it got worse and worse. She was fast approaching fourteen, the age that I had my first quest

It was hard to have to wonder if she would make it to her first day of high school. If she would ever learn to drive. If she would ever have her first boyfriend, though I doubted that anyway if I could do something about it. If she would ever have her first kiss or go to prom or graduate. Or any of it…

"_Κακή μωρό Charlotte_," I skipped a rock into the river, and I reached for my cell phone, logging on to IM.

**SoccerGuy18: Bored at camp. Capture the flag where I got the most boring place. How are you doing, Pixar?**

It barely took a second before I got the IM back.

**PixarRules4: You guys play capture the flag on Fridays, too? Weird, huh? I had to watch one girl, Pippa, who was pretty good. But she's under control and I am just watching and waiting to protect our stars.**

"_Uncontrol?_" I asked, wondering if she meant the way we got people under control around here.

**SoccerGuy18: Fun. How was your first week? I barely heard from you.**

**PixarRules4: It was fun, I guess. I got the classes I wanted in it, and I finally get to spend time with my little cousin, Lucy. After I went to college, I don't see her much. Love her to death.**

**SoccerGuy18: How much younger is she than you?**

**PixarRules4: Five years, She just thirteen.**

I was about to type something back when I saw the alert saying that Pixar was typing.

**PixarRules4: GTG.**

I shrugged and typed something back, putting my cell phone back in my armor, and I stood up.

I straightened my armor, and I held my sword, boredom getting to me. I was starting off towards where the real battle was when I heard it.

The high pitch scream curdled my blood and made my skin crawl. It was the kind of scream that you were lucky to never hear. It was the scream that you heard when you knew you were about to die.

That enough made me stop and turn, but then I noticed the direction it was in.

But, even before I could put that together, I _recognized the voice._

Panic didn't even have enough time to register before I found myself sprinting, my heart thudding as loud as a drum. My lungs forget how to work, and my brain could no longer function.

Another scream.

Charlie.

Oh Gods, Charlie.

I rounded a corner, and my steam died for pure shock.

Two men made of complete stone held on to my little sister, holding her by her arms with such a force that her arms bled. She had a large cut on her forehead, and her first reaction was to try to kick herself out of their grasp, which just left her with bruises.

Her sword was on the ground…

"Noah! _Please!"_ Charlie screamed, tears streaming down her face as she got a small ray of hope.

I could barely feel my knees, much less fight.

I had protected my sister before but not from stone monsters! I didn't know the first place to start, and they were surprisingly moving fast to a cave I had never seen before, even with how every second felt like an hour.

The cave had a small opening, and it wound down as far as the eye could see, leading off into what looked like a Labyrinth, though that had been destroyed for years.

My brain wasn't in charge of my body. If it had been, I might have lost Charlie forever.

With a flick of my wrist, anger took control of the situation.

The river emptied out, even more than was in there, and it was at such a force that I would have been scared if anyone no related to Poseidon had been around that. It was so powerful that I couldn't even see it as it happened.

I only stopped when I saw pebbles beginning to fly everywhere.

When the water finally calmed down, the cave was gone. The stone monsters were pebbles. And Charlie was soaking wet, slightly buried in pebbles.

I sprinted towards Charlie, digging through the rubble like her life depended on it.

As her green eyes slowly blinked open, I held her tighly, rocking her like she was a baby.

"Noah," her voice croaked out.

"Shh, it's alright. It was just a monster," I tried, pushing her wet hair behind her ear, and she let a stray tear fall.

"No, Noah, I saw her! She-She was taking me! The woman with the knife!"

I rocked her tightly, and I suddenly heard Kate sprinting towards me, getting on her knees to look at Charlie.

"What happened?"

I met Kate's eyes, and she understood from the look in my eyes.

"Let's get her to Chiron."

* * *

_**It happened a little sooner than I thought, but here it is. **_

_**So the woman with the knife tried to take Charlie…**_

_**And I am the evil writer who ended the chapter there.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Charlie,**_

I stared at the flames, the fire in slowly flickering in and out.

The Big House was a little slice of American heaven, which shocked me since this was the camp for the Greek Demigods. There was a porch that wrapped around the house. The kitchen looked like something you saw in a movie where a stay at home mom making peanut butter and jelly. Everything was cutely decorated, and the spare bedrooms reminded me of when I went to go see my mom's family in San Francisco, the typical All-American house.

The living room was a good sized room with beige colored walls, and it wasn't as cutely decorated. The room was situated around a big comfy couch, and there was a good sized TV mounted above the fireplace.

When I was little, we used to come and see Chiron, and I loved this house. I remembered being four years old with little pigtails and a big grin. I ran around the house, exploring every nook and cranny. I really loved the attic, finding all sorts of new stories and things from the quests my parents went on.

But my favorite thing to do when I came here was climb up in Chiron's lap (or climb on him when he was in horse form) and look at the pictures on the shelf.

There were pictures dating all sorts of time, but my favorites were of my parents. Chiron had everything of them, from the moment they met to a family picture from when I was three.

In the last ten years, more family pictures had ended up on the wall. From the picture of Chiron with Noah at his high school graduation to his first professional soccer game, our important moments were hanging proudly.

But, as I sat here tonight, I didn't feel the warm family feel I felt when I looked at the wall.

Tonight, everything was different.

"More hot chocolate?"

I looked up to see Kate leaning up against the doorway leading from the kitchen to the living room.

Kate had changed out of her armor, and she had opted to stay the night here with me though she didn't want to leave me to go get her stuff. My godmother, Rachel, had left some extra stuff here in the Big House over the years due to being the oracle.

She had on a pair of green yoga pants with splatters of paint on the sides, and she had a tee shirt for the Dare Foundation, a charity Aunt Rachel ran. Kate had on a giant knit jacket that looked like it might consume her, and her hair was in a ponytail.

Behind her, I could still the door to Chiron's office off the kitchen, which was once a dining room. The dining room was never used, so he turned that into an office. And he took the office to become another bedroom for hurt people who needed "special attention" from him.

Chiron and Noah had gone off in there to talk with Kate, and, while she had come out earlier, my brother was still in there.

I knew they were still talking about it.

It was the elephant in the room everyone had refused to address since the game. When they took me to the Big House, no one spoke. They had waited until I was safely on the couch until they finally spoke about it.

_It was time..._

After all these years, it felt unreal.

I had known it was coming for so long that I was really beginning to think it wouldn't happen…

But it was!

I knew it was!

They could say that it was unrelated and that I still had time, but I didn't.

"Sure," I smiled weakly at Kate, "Hot chocolate sounds great."

Kate smiled, and she disappeared back into the kitchen. Before long, Kate came out of the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate in each hand. She smiled, and I moved my legs so that she could sit on the end of the couch.

I took the hot chocolate, and we sat in silence as we both took a sip.

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked, turning to wear she was sitting Indian style on the couch to look at me.

She was trying to act like this was another sleepover, but it wasn't…

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do though…

I wanted it to be like that, too. I wanted this to be how it was supposed to be. I want to be just getting back from dinner where Emily-Rose and I celebrated me getting chosen so early on, and I want to be changing into my favorite owl pajamas as Noah takes forever in the shower. I want to be sending an iris message to my parents through the lavish fountain in the middle of the cabin, telling them all about my first week as they tell me about how much they miss me and how they are doing.

But I was sitting in the living room, stuck with the thing I had been dreading for so long.

"Scared," I admitted, pushing my hair behind my ear.

"Don't be," Kate told me weakly, putting her hand on my arm comfortingly, and I decided to completely bring down the barrier.

"Does he know who she is yet?"

Kate moved her hand, pushing her hair behind her eat nervously, too. After a while, she shook her head.

"There is nothing, Charlie. No stone goddess that would be trying to kill you. No monster. We don't even know any of your parent's enemies that could behind this."

I nodded, looking back to the fireplace.

"It'll be alright, Charlie, I promise," Kate tried, "I am sure this will blow over, and our summer will be right back on track."

"Maybe you're right," I smiled weakly, trying to believe it.

"Yeah, now come on. Chiron just got Netflix."

I smiled as Kate reached for the TV remote and turned it on.

_It'll just blow over…_

_**Noah,**_

"This is not going to blow over," Chiron told me as I put a mug of steaming coffee in front of him, and I collapsed into an arm chair in his office.

This office had seen worse problems, I knew that.

This was where Chiron had brought my father for many a horrible situation. This was where Chiron brought Uncle Jason when he found out he was Roman. And his office had seen almost every hero since. I was even brought in here for my quest years ago.

But tonight felt like the worst for me.

I had spent the last few hours talking with Chiron, and our conversation had been building up to this point.

I had held this off for hours now. I came in when the sun was just setting, and it was already one in the morning. Kate had been able to keep me and Chiron calm, but, eventually, she had to leave and make Charlie calm after everything she had been through.

Once mediator Kate left us, Chiron and I tried to keep the peace, but we both clearly wanted completely different things. And it was ready to calm our.

"We've held it off for so long, Chiron," I was almost begging, "Can't we keep doing it? She's just a kid! She needs more time!"

"We can't put it off any longer, Noah. If I could, I would. But it's time."

"How do you know we can't hold it off any more? She's been coming to Charlie for years, this isn't that different!"

"She made _contact_, Noah. You know your quest. You were safe here until they made contact. Once they made contact, things got worse, and they were figuring out ways to even get in here. You couldn't hide."

"But I was older. I had a stronger scent."

"But you're more human than her."

I wasn't sure why this hit me as hard as it did, but it was always that way when people talked about the fact that my mother had been human and my father half-human. I wasn't protective of them to make it like that, but I still remembered Alexander, the stupid son of Ares who loved to rub it in that I was more human than him.

Up until I was ten, I couldn't control water. I could get wet, I couldn't breathe under water. I was basically human, and, even when I got them, it took me a while to master them.

"Well the contact thing doesn't make a difference either. She has been making contact for years," I brushed off the comment.

"In Charlie's _dreams_. Tonight, she had _Stone Men_ try to _kidnap_ her."

"I saved her."

"Barely, Noah."

My eyes shot up to Chiron.

Right now, it was hard to remember that he had been like a grandfather to me. My father would bring me here every summer for two weeks to stay in the Big House, play with the kids in the Camp, and run around in the strawberry fields. It had always been my favorite time of summer.

Now, I could have killed him.

I knew he was only the messenger for the truth, but it was so horrible to hear.

Charlie wasn't even able to drive yet, but they expected her to complete a prophecy.

And now he stood here telling me that I had barely saved my little sister and that I couldn't keep her safe.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean, Noah. You were scared, you were shocked. You couldn't think, and the river saved you. What if there hadn't been a river? If you had nothing. Or if they weren't so easily defeated. They won't be next time. And, if Charlie stays, there will be a next time."

"Are you threatening to kick us out?"

"No, of course not," Chiron shook his head, "Remember, I love Charlie just as much as I love you. She is like my granddaughter. I hate this as much as you."

I looked down to my own coffee.

"I am stating the fact that, the sooner she starts her quest, the less danger she is in."

_He was right…_

I didn't meet his eyes, and I took a gulp of the hot coffee, which burned my throat.

But I needed the pain. I needed a distraction.

"She doesn't have to do it alone," Chiron tried to comfort me, and I nodded, rubbing my arms.

"I'll go with her."

Chiron leaned back in the chair, knowing that he had won, and he took a sip of the hot coffee.

"When will you leave?"

I looked to the window looking over New Athens, and I had to stare at the shock of safety. Safety felt like such a foreign concept that it felt like I was watching a movie as I looked down at the residential part of the city, full of little families and happiness.

"Um, I don't know," I admitted, "Soon. Charlie needs to recover first."

"It'll be okay, Noah," Chiron tried, and I smiled weakly.

"Um, I better get to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Your usual room is open."

I smiled thanks at him, and I stood, hugging Chiron goodnight as I brought my mug to the kitchen, where I poured it in the sink.

Knowing Chiron would be working late into the early morning, I turned off the TV the girls had left on, and I turned off the lights except for one where Chiron could see to get to his room. I went to the stairs, and I was careful to avoid the creaky steps.

When I got to the top of the stairs, I went to the bedroom at the back.

It felt weird to be back here. From the time I was eleven, I had been sleeping in the Poseidon cabin, and this room had remained mostly unused since. There were still some of my old clothes in the closet and some of my dad's, too. I had left a backpack in the closet, and there were toys of mine around the room.

I took my time getting ready for bed, trying to be busy to get my mind off of everything. I brushed my teeth three times, and I washed my face. I changed into a pair of my father's old sweatpants, and I folded up my clothes from today. I checked my cell phone before turning it off, and I even cleaned the room a little bit.

But I eventually had to climb into bed, and it was a disaster.

I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that it was time for my little sister's prophecy, and the caffeine kept me awake to endure the torture.

After thirty minutes, I got out of bed, and I ended up staring out of the window to New Athens again.

When I first saw the town, I wondered if I would ever get to be one of those people. Later, I wondered if I would get married and move there with Kate. I wondered if we would have children to tuck in and what they would be like.

But now I wondered if my sister would ever have that…

As I sat there, I knew I needed to talk to someone, but I wasn't sure who.

I didn't want to tell our parents yet. I couldn't tell Pixar, and I didn't want to talk to Chiron.

There was only one person…

Any other time, I would have chickened out, but I couldn't.

Not now…

_**Kate,**_

"Kate," someone whispered in my ear.

I let out a sleepy moan and tried to go back to sleep.

"Kate," a little louder this time.

I didn't do anything still.

"Kate," the voice got even louder, and they poked me in the shoulder blade.

"Sam, shut the-" I sleepily opened my eyes, about to chew my brother out for waking me up when I was having such a good dream.

But then I jumped backwards.

Noah sat on the foot of my bed, wearing only a pair of sweatpants, and his fluorescent blue eyes were trained on me.

Oh. My. Gods.

I was caught between embarrassment and anger for being woken up.

"Noah?"

He smiled weakly back at me.

"Hey, Kate," he said sheepishly.

"What are you doing?" I sat up in bed, staring at him.

"Well, I needed to talk to someone, and your room was next to mine," Noah seemed to blush, but I couldn't be sure in the darkness.

Seeing his blush suddenly reminded me that he was on my bed. Without a shirt_._ In the dark. When we were sneaking out of our cabins.

Now I was blushing, and I was thankful that he couldn't see it.

For the last week, I had been able to work past my unbelievable crush on Noah, and things were going well. We weren't as close as before, and I doubted we ever would be. But we were close enough.

We had our meals together at the outside tables where anyone could sit with anyone. We had a lot of classes together, and we were talking again. We were even laughing together, too, which was a big step for me.

Now I felt like I was at square one though, blushing at the realization he was on the bed.

_Why am I so pathetic?_ I asked myself.

"What's up," I sat Indian Style, having to keep my eyes locked on his bright blue eyes to keep from losing him in the insanely dark room.

It wasn't that dark, I guess.

But it felt pitch black after having grown up in New York City.

"Was Charlie okay?" Noah's eyes stayed glued to mine, too.

I nodded.

"She's not happy, but she's okay. I got it off her mind by watching some TV and some hot chocolate. Why do you ask, Noah?"

"What did you tell her?"

Now I was getting worried.

"That it would probably blow over."

Noah's eyes tore away from mine, but I didn't lose him in the darkness. If anything, I could see him better. And I could definitely see the truth better.

"Noah, what did Chiron say?" I realized my voice was trembling.

He didn't answer, which was answer enough.

"But we've held it off for so long."

"We can't anymore," Noah met my eyes again, and I noticed they were watering.

"But-But I thought we had until she was sixteen."

"Chiron says that, now that she's made contact, she won't stop until she gets Charlie. It'll be more dangerous for Charlie the longer we wait."

It was so much information to process that I felt like I might throw up.

"But she's only _thirteen_."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do."

Now I was looking away from Noah, leaning back onto the headboard, and I hugged my knees.

"When?" my eyes finally found their way back to him.

"I don't know. Charlie needs time to recover, but she won't get long."

I had known Noah almost his entire life, and he had known me almost my entire life. We had been best friends for years, and Charlie had brought us even closer together. For the last fourteen to fifteen years, I had seen Noah's every emotion.

But never this.

I had never seen Noah so heartbroken, and it would have killed me even if I hadn't been in love with him. Because I was, it was like someone was pounding a dagger into my heart with every beat.

"Are you okay, Noah?"

Noah was shocked, like he had never even thought about it.

He had been so consumed with worrying for his little sister that he hadn't even thought about how he felt.

Noah opened his mouth to say something, but his words failed him, making him close his mouth again. He sat there, not sure what to say or even what to do. And I was the same way.

So we just sat there, sitting on the bed as we stared at each other.

After what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"She's my little sister, Kate," his eyes were watering, his voice trembling, and he was shaking.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was sitting up in the bed, reaching for him, and I wrapped around him in a hug. He hugged me back tightly, his arms wrapping around me so tightly I could barely breathe. We both let our tears lose, and I felt something sweet swell through me, breaking through the pain.

I knew we wouldn't do anything, though I secretly kind of hoped we would. But it was better that way.

* * *

**So it is time for the prophecy.**

**I added in the thing with Kate to show the fact that Kate and Noah are coming together for Charlie after all that time not speaking.**

**Warning, I am in Orlando, and it is nearing Christmas. So it'll be a while before I have Chapter Four out.**


	4. Preparing for the Prophecy

_**Noah,**_

I woke with the sunrise.

I had only slept about three hours, and I needed more sleep.

But I had to open my eyes to pull back the curtains, and I saw the happy morning outside my window. The strawberry fields were covered with dew, and the buildings in New Rome shone in the sun. A few early bird campers were out on their jog, and the sky was blue and dotted with clouds.

It was beautiful.

Usually, I would be waking up about now here at camp, though I didn't want to. As a senior, I would need to go for my weekly crack-of-dawn run through the camp, and it would be pretty enjoyable by this point. New Athens would look so beautiful, the air would smell of freshness, and everything would look perfect.

I was too tired to marvel this morning though, and I leaned back in the bed.

That was when I caught eye of Kate.

My heart stopped for a moment, and it took me a minute or two to remember that I had fallen asleep here after coming to talk to her last night. When I did, I let out a sigh, though I wasn't sure if it was for relief or sadness.

I was absolutely shocked though.

Even when she was wearing a shirt three sizes too big with her hair crazy and her face without any bit of make-up, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I wasn't sure if it was just me thinking that or if it was true, but it killed me to think that she would always see me as her older brother.

After what felt like forever, I finally slid back into bed, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her, bringing her close to me. I could feel her heartbeat, and she snuggled up closer to me, now using my chest as a pillow now. I kissed the top of her head, which made her let out a cute little _hmm_ and snuggle even closer.

For a moment, I felt complete bliss.

As I began to fall asleep again, I was still thinking about Charlie.

I loved Charlie. When Annabeth was pregnant with her, I thought I might not. Annabeth kept saying she knew it would be a girl, and I wanted to have a little sister. But then my father kept reminding us that the baby could be another boy, and I hadn't been happy about that.

Up until about a year before, I had really been the only person in my father's life, and, while I was glad to share the attention with Annabeth, I wasn't sure about another baby. Even after Annabeth made me realize I would still be loved and taken care of, I wasn't exactly sure. And then a beautiful little green-eyed baby was born.

I loved her from that moment on, and I was overprotective from the start, just like my father.

It felt impossible to know that she was thirteen not three, much less that she had a prophecy she had to handle.

No matter how many times Charlie kept proving that she really was growing up, I still saw a five year old with pig tails, running around the house in her princess costume. This should have been the greatest proof that she wasn't my little girl anymore, but it still couldn't change anything in me.

"Noah?"

Someone's warm breath blew into my ear, and I opened my eyes slowly to see that Kate's grey eyes were beginning to open.

"I can barely breathe," she smiled weakly, and I blushed as I realized how tight I was holding her. I unwrapped my arms from her waist, and I moved back to my spot in the bed, looking up to the ceiling.

I knew I should leave, but I kept this moment going because I didn't want to yet.

"What time is it?"

Kate sleepily sat up, scrambling for her jeans on the floor with her cell phone in it.

"Seven," Kate looked back to me, pushing her hair behind her ear, "You better get going. Chiron is usually up here by seven thirty to remind us about breakfast."

Was I imagining it or was she disappointed?

I didn't get much time to think about it before I thought about the hassle Chiron would give me if he found me here, giving us both a lecture about the "Bird and the Bees" and making us so embarrassed we would blush for the next ten years. But then I thought about the look Charlie would give us…

Charlie had known how I felt for Kate for the last year after suspecting it for a while now. I didn't even have to tell her. She saw the way I looked at her last summer after so long of not seeing Kate, and that was just it. I didn't really allow Charlie to talk about it. Instead, she gave these looks, and I honestly would have preferred that she teased me.

Thinking about what a field day Charlie would have, I jumped out of bed without another thought. I ruffled my hair, and I looked back to Kate, who was gathering up her clothes from yesterday.

I stopped at the door, and Kate looked up at me.

"Uh, thanks for letting me stay in here. And talking to me, I guess I needed that," I wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"That's what friends are for," Kate seemed just as tongue-tied as me, "Um, when do we need to… tell her?"

"Today."

Kate nodded.

"I'll see you down at breakfast."

"Okay."

_**Kate,**_

I was wearing a pair of the Oracle's jean shorts, my tee shirt from the day before, and my lucky sneakers when I came downstairs. Chiron wanted to throw my jeans in the wash and the clothes I used as pajamas, and I ended up wearing anything I could find.

When I got to the kitchen, Chiron was still working on the laundry, wanting to avoid this morning, and Noah was making breakfast.

While he made French Toast and eggs, I made regular toast and put out juice, trying everything not ot speak.

As I set out a place of toast, I wasn't sure exactly what I was avoiding.

The prophecy with Charlie?

Noah after all this time?

Or Noah after waking up with his arms wrapped tight around me like I was the most important thing in the world to him?

I still couldn't get over that.

I had never felt like that…

I didn't feel like I needed to run to the bathroom and fix my hair and make-up so he wouldn't see how I _really_ look in the morning. I didn't even feel like going back to sleep though I had barely slept a wink the night before.

I just wanted to stay like that…

But, eventually, I knew I had to get up, and I had to wake him up.

"Morning, Kate. Morning, Noah."

My eyes shot to the doorway, where Charlie was letting out a big yawn and a stretch.

It almost killed me to look at her right now.

She looked like the kid she was. Her curly blonde hair was in a messy blonde ponytail, and her sea green eyes were still full of sleep. She had on a giant tee shirt for the Party Ponies and a pair of shorts, wearing a small smile to go along with it.

"Ooh, scrambled eggs. My favorite."

Noah smiled as he made Charlie a plate, and he handed it to her with a smirk.

"You're finally up."

"It's only seven, Noah," Charlie rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her orange juice.

I felt a little sick as I realized we had this conversation a million times. Every sleepover, every family event that involved sleeping over, all of it. Charlie and Noah said that exact same thing.

What if I never heard it again?

I needed to change the topic.

_Fast._

"How'd you sleep?" I asked Charlie, and she shrugged.

"Eh, not bad. Not great but not bad. I didn't get much of it though. How about you two?" Charlie looked between me and her older brother.

Noah turned a small shade of pink.

"Uh, fine," Noah quickly answered, ruffling his hair.

I looked down to my French Toast, and Charlie watched us, raising her eyebrows at me.

_Wonderful, now questions,_ I almost moaned.

"What happened with you two?" she whispered, nudging me.

I pretended not to know what she was talking about.

"Nothing."

"Did you two…?" she raised her eyebrows again, only this time with a smile and a dirty mind.

"No, no," I quickly shook my head, turning as pink as the strawberries the camp grew.

"But _something _happened."

"_Nothing_ happened, Charlotte."

"Whatever you say," Charlie took a sip of her juice, "But I will still find out what happened with you two."

I rolled my eyes, and I was about to say something about how nothing happened when Noah sat down at the counter with us.

"What are you two girls talking about?" Noah smirked, taking his spot beside Charlie at the counter. He took a big bite of his favorite food, French Toast, and he looked between us.

"Something," Charlie smirked.

"_Nothing_," I corrected.

"Sure," Noah nodded, laughing at the two of us.

I rolled my eyes, and I began on my breakfast.

"So, what did Chiron say last night?"

Noah and I both started choking on our breakfast, and I paralyzed as I stared at Noah.

Noah looked like he might cry, and I felt like I might throw up.

Charlie frantically looked between the two of us, her sea green eyes watering as she began to realize what was going on. Her jaw dropped, and her head went faster as she looked to Noah then me, then Noah then me again.

She was doing it so much I worried her head would pop off.

"So, he-he… he said…?" Charlie's voice croaked, and her tears streamed down her face, making my eyes water, too.

Noah wrapped his arms around her, and she began to sob into his chest.

"I know, baby… I know. But it'll be okay," Noah rubbed her back.

She answered with more tears.

"We'll be there, I promise. We can do this," Noah reassured.

Charlie pulled away from him, wiping her eyes as she looked back to me.

"You, too, Kate?"

I nodded, meeting her eyes.

"Of course, Charlie."

Charlie nodded, sitting up straighter as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"When-when do we leave?"

"It's up to you," Noah put his hand on her shoulder.

"Tomorrow, I want to go tomorrow."

"You can have another, if you want."

We all turned to see Chiron at the doorway.

"If you want to bring a third person, I will permit it."

"You can bring Emily-Rose," Noah offered.

"I want Sam."

We were shocked as we all stared at her.

"I want to survive this. And you three are the best in the camp."

Noah almost cried again, and he rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"I'll tell him," I offered, and Charlie nodded.

"I'm going to get dressed, and I'm going to head down to the camp. I'll see you guys later," Charlie slid off the stool.

I nodded, and I quickly gripped Noah's hand to stop him from running after her.

His eyes met mine, questioning what I was doing, and I just simply shook my head, which seemed to get the message across.

Noah nodded, and I hesitantly let go of his hand.

"Kate, your clothes are ready," Chiron offered, still watching me.

"Uh, thanks. I'll go get dressed," I stood awkwardly, and I started off to get the clothes.

_**Charlie,**_

"Oh my gods…" Emily-Rose pushed her red hair behind her ear, staring across at me.

We were sitting in my cabin by the fountain.

The cabin was beautiful and completely able to control through a control panel on the door. The walls were light blue, but, with a press of a button, they could disappear and let the cool lake breeze in. The ceiling had a mural that looked like what you might see under the water, but another button could make it disappear to blue glass that made it look like you were under the ocean when the sun came through it. The floors were marble, and, in the center of the room, there was a grand fountain.

I adored it here, and I had been excited to put my trunk at the end of my bunk. I hated so much to leave it…

"I know."

"Are you alright?"

I shrugged, looking to the gurgling fountain.

"I guess… Scared, but I don't know," my eyes wandered over to the bunk that had once belonged to my father.

On the wall, when it was here as it was now, there was a collection of pictures of my parents. The one on the end got me staring the most.

My parents couldn't have been more than twelve, and my mother was slightly taller than my father. He had a big wide smile and messy black hair, and my mom's curly hair looked like the blonde version of Merida from Brave. They were together after their first quest.

Guilt consumed me.

My parents were on their _second_ prophecy by this age, and I was much more trained than both of them.

But their prophecy involved someone wanting compromise.

This woman wanted my head…

I closed my eyes as I thought about the prophecy.

"_The Wise Children shall love_

_The One of the Sea shall protect_

_The Mother shall release from old debts_

_The Fates will grant with great power_

_But ancients feud will scorn_

_The daughter of the mind and sea."_

At the time, it was pretty straight forward. But, sitting here now, I had no clue what was going to happen. It made no sense, and it was driving me up the wall.

Chiron told us our first stop would be to the god of prophecies himself to see if he could shed any light, but I knew I would never get a straight answer. I just had to wing it and pray to all of the gods I could think of that my mistake didn't get us all killed.

"Who did you chose?" Emily-Rose seemed nervous.

I knew she wanted to be a good friend to me, but I also knew that she knew the stories about this prophecy and wanted to live to be older than thirteen.

"Noah, Kate, and Sam. I would have picked you, but-"

"No, no, I understand," Emily-Rose quickly told me, "I would have done the same thing.

I smiled weakly, and looked to the magic backpack my grandmother had given me years ago.

"Want to help me pack?" I asked with a small smile, hoping we could get the tension out of the air.

"Of course!"

We did everything as we usually did, and Emily-Rose ended up with a new tank top that she decided would look much better on her. But it didn't feel right.

It felt pathetic. It felt sad and final. It felt like something you did with someone you knew was about to die.

We still laughed, but it felt dry and empty. We still danced around the room, though it felt off beat and forced. And we still talked about anything and everything, though a certain topic was most definitely off limits.

It didn't feel right, and I knew I couldn't force it to.

"So, there is this guy, from the Demeter cabin, Kia. Did you know his dad is from Hawaii? They moved to New Athens a few years ago."

Kia.

Yes, I knew that Kia had moved from Hawaii, and I had known this for the last year when Emily-Rose first met him. She was visiting home as she often did since her mother's Juniper tree was here, and she met him in New Athens.

And she hadn't gotten over it since.

"You could try to talking to him, you know?" I reminded her as she reclined onto my bottom bunk.

"I was just _mentioning_ it."

"Sure," I rolled my eyes, and she got on her elbows to look at me.

"Hey! Whatever happened with Daniel?"

"Daniel?"

"You are kidding. Daniel! Daniel Morgan! You know, _the_ Daniel Morgan?" Emily-Rose smiled wide, almost giggling.

Daniel Morgan was the star of our middle school. He was on the soccer team in the spring and star of the football team in the fall. In the meantime, he was on the debate team, and he maintained all A's. Along with that, he was gorgeous.

In the last semester of school, he had suddenly shown an interest in me for reasons I couldn't understand.

And I wished he hadn't.

I wasn't unpopular before. I was the star of the swim team, and I was in all honors. I had great friends, and I was perfectly happy with my life.

But, once Daniel paid attention to me, I was different. Girls wanted to be me or hated me, though usually both. Boys suddenly noticed me, too. The turnout for the swim meets got higher, and everyone kept telling me I was so lucky.

But I didn't know what to do about the change.

"What happened when?" I shrugged to Emily-Rose.

"At the end-of-the-year party! I heard you guys were talking all night! And then you were gone! Did you do something bad, Charlie?" she laughed.

"We talked for a few minutes. And we both disappeared because his mom came to pick him up and I went to the _bathroom._"

"You're telling me _nothing_ happened?"

I expected her to be proud, but she looked disappointed.

"I don't really like him, Emily-Rose."

"_Everyone_ likes him. And he likes you!"

I shrugged.

"I don't want that though. He would be much better off with Jennifer or something."

"Don't you dare say that!" Emily-Rose jumped off the bed, "If you are going to cast him off, at least do you friend a solid and pretend I have a chance."

"But you want Kia."

"I do not," Emily-Rose blushed, which meant her face turned green.

"You're blushing."

"Shut up," Emily-Rose crossed her arms, "Let's go get some ice cream. The pavilion should just be opening."

"You go ahead. I'll be there a little later."

Emily-Rose let out a weak smile, and she set off towards the Pavilion.

I reached for our "praying bowl" and set a fire with a small match, and I threw in a blueberry Poptarts.

"Please let me come home alive," I whispered to the gods.


	5. The Beginning of the Quest

_**Kate,**_

I put my backpack in the trunk of the large Jeep Commander, and I made sure the GPS on my cell phone was turned off as I climbed in the backseat of the car beside Charlie.

It wasn't even sunrise yet. The night was still out, though the sky was getting lighter as it prepared for the sun. No campers were up yet, or they weren't out at least. The air was chilly, and I had to put a hoodie on. Now wasn't exactly the time when three college-age kids and a thirteen year old driving away would be inconspicuous, but it was the best time to leave.

I hadn't slept a wink. Instead, I had packed and repacked. I sharpened my arrows and dagger. I sneaked off to the Hermes cabin where I bought a hider that the Hecate cabin produced that would be able to hide Charlie's blood a little bit. And, when I finally forced myself to get in bed, I just ended up staring at the ceiling.

But I knew I would have plenty of time for sleep in the trip, though I still didn't know exactly where we were going. We were tracking down Apollo, which was a pretty hard job for a god who went from place to place on a moment's notice.

"Where is Noah?" Sam tapped on the steering wheel, his jaw tightening.

He was always impatient, and he was more so in the morning. I hadn't had to go through driving with him since I was sixteen, when I got my license and my parents bought me my super-safe Jeep. Though I still had the memories of horrible mornings with him driving me to school, I had forgotten about this.

Charlie seemed to not notice it though.

She was too nervous, staring at the window at the forest that leads to Camp Half-Blood. I knew she wanted to go back, and I wished I could have let her and carried on the quest just the three of us.

"How'd you sleep?" I looked over to Charlie, trying to be sociable and pretend nothing is wrong.

Charlie looked back to me, showing just how tired she really was.

"Not so great. You?"

"Same," I admitted. It wasn't exactly for the same reasons as her though.

I felt guilty, but I couldn't stop thinking about going on a quest with Noah.

What was going to happen?

Our silence had been broken, and our space was beginning to get smaller and smaller. We couldn't go through a prophecy without getting at least a _little_ closer. Would I be able to handle getting closer to him after pushing him away for so long?

I mean, he knew _everything_ about me. He knew me, and he seemed to accept even the parts I hated about myself. Even if I hadn't been in love with him since I was seventeen, that was pretty hard to pass up.

If things could get any worse, I saw him.

My heart stopped, and I wondered how on earth he could look so freaking perfect all the time.

His black hair was hidden in a Braves baseball cap, and the sun was coming up behind him, making him look like Apollo. And then of course there was just his usual physical perfection that made me jealous and weak in the knees at the same time.

_If I had taken up soccer, would I look that hot?_ I wondered.

I was deep in thought about it when the door suddenly opened, and Noah climbed in the passenger seat.

_Bad, Kate!_ I reprimanded myself, _We have more important things to think about than your crush on Noah._

But it was so hard not to think about him, especially when he was sitting so close to me.

"He's in Charleston for a week, staying by the Battery," Noah handed Sam something from Google Maps.

"Twelve hours," Sam let out a sigh, but he shrugged and started the engine to his car. Sam put the directions into the GPS on his cell phone, and he looked to the three passengers with him.

"Are we ready?"

Noah nodded, glancing back at me to see my reaction. I nodded as well, and our attention turned to Charlie.

She looked like any other kid ready for a long road trip. Her headphones were in one hand and her iPod in the other. Her backpack was at her feet, and she was wearing normal clothes for a teenager, too.

If I hadn't known who she really was, I would have thought she was just another teenager stuck on a road trip with her older brother and his friends down for a summer vacation in the south.

How on earth could this be happening to her?

It almost made me sick to think about it, to be honest.

I was turning into Noah.

For years, I had been the one happy that Charlie was growing up. I had reminded Noah to let her grow up and become her own person instead of just being the little baby he used to hold and adore. For crying out loud, I was the person, with the help of Aunt Annabeth, who talked Noah and Uncle Percy into letting Charlie have a date to her first dance!

But now I desperately wanted her to be five years old again.

"Yeah, let's go."

Sam looked back to the road, and he started on to the highway.

It hit me hard when I realized it.

This is really happening. We were really beginning her prophecy, really entering what could be our last day.

_Please, dear gods, protect us._

_**Noah,**_

We were seven hours in when it came time for lunch. Sam didn't want us to stop completely, so he pulled into the parking lot of a random restaurant and gave us a list while he and Charlie remained in the car.

I slept for the first three hours before I had to drive, and Sam got in the backseat where he fell asleep with Charlie. I was supposed to switch with Kate about two hours ago, but I had never gotten around to it.

It was nice talking to Kate. I had forgotten how easy it really was to talk to her. I could tell that we kept certain things off limits, which felt weird compared to our usually completely open conversations, but I didn't mind.

It was a relief to be away from the bimbos that usually surrounded me thanks to my job.

I'm not exactly the richest guy on the team, though I make a pretty good salary. But I don't waste it all on expensive apartments or fancy cars. So the gold-diggers hear of a young, well-off soccer player and it doesn't take long until he is surrounded by them.

I used to buy into it.

Beautiful, easy women? It sounded great to me, but I quickly got tired of it.

The more and more I saw the vain, stupid bleach blondes, the more and more I missed Kate.

I wondered if she ever thought about me…

School was busy for her, and so was the new social life she had tried to set up in college. There were different people, different topics, different things than how we all were when we were kids. Did I ever pop in her mind?

"This is much easier than our first quest. Maybe you should have picked someone who could drive instead of me," Kate smirked as we continued to wait for our food to take back to the car.

Our first quest wasn't easy though it wasn't a big important prophecy like Charlie's. It all went down in Miami, and we spent a lot of it walking until I got ahold of three train passes down to Miami. For me and Kate, this was really when we got close. We had always been best friends, but, after our quest together, it was more than that…

"I probably would have left complaining Sam behind before you."

Kate let out a small laugh, and I could have sworn she blushed. But she put her head down, and her hair was in her face before I could tell.

"How much longer do we have?" Kate looked to me again, and the sudden eye contact made my heart skip a beat.

"Uh, five hours."

Kate let out a small moan, and she pouted as she pulled herself onto the railing of the waiting area.

"Do you need me to drive?" Kate pushed her hair behind her ear, twisting her favorite good luck charm the evil eye bracelet.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. You probably won't have long before Sam wants to drive though."

"Why is the worst driver is the one who loves to drive the most?" Kate let out a laugh, and I laughed back.

"And you're such a great driver," I leaned on the railing, and Kate jumped off to cross her arms at me.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just that I have no clue how you passed your driver's ED class to get your license. Nothing at all," I smirked.

"And look who taught me how to drive," she laughed, poking my shoulder blade accusingly.

"Technically, I took you to where you could learn to drive. I was not involved in that," I raised my hands in surrender.

"And maybe that was it then, hmm? Besides, you're not exactly a _great_ driver."

"What are you talking about? I am a _wonderful_ driver, I'll have you know."

Kate opened her mouth to reply when someone called our number.

"_Seventeen_," a teenager covered in piercings and with hot pink hair called out, and Kate backed away from me, which is when I realized just how close we were.

I carried the bag, and Kate carried the drink holder as we hurried out of the restaurant to the car where we had left each our blonde siblings.

When we got there, I saw Charlie was searching through the radio stations, and Sam was on his cell phone with some girl, though I couldn't remember who he was with this week.

While I had gotten tired of the bimbos, Sam was nowhere near there yet.

"Hey, who had the supreme personal pizza-?" Kate held out the box in the car, and Sam snatched it up before she could finish the sentence.

"Peperoni," Charlie smiled as she reached for hers, and I grabbed mine as I handed everyone else their drinks.

I was climbing into the front seat and revving up the engine when Kate looked over at me.

"I can drive. You must be tired," Kate offered, and Charlie peaked her head into the front seat.

"Noah, you've been driving for hours. Get some rest. You'll need it," Charlie reminded me, and I knew I was stuck.

"Uh, I guess."

As I got out of the driver's seat, I let Kate get in instead, and I settled into the passenger seat.

No one seemed to understand that I liked the distraction, that I _needed_ the distraction. It was too much to think about, and it became even more and more with every mile.

_**Charlie,**_

My mom had told me how beautiful Charleston was, but I had never been. She had always said that she and Fort Sumter didn't have the greatest history, and we always ended up going somewhere like Bermuda or tropical like that on our vacations.

No stories or pictures could describe what it felt like to be in Charleston though.

I felt like I was back in time, and it was unbelievably amazing to see a place that was unchanged but also modern and livable. I even saw traces of what I saw in New Athens, and I knew my mother had used this as inspiration.

It was different from what I expected. It was the way the sun hit the buildings and came through the trees. It was the way the air smelled, a mix of restaurants and the ocean air. It was the well-manicured beauty. And it was the way you just wanted to sit on a bench and spend the rest of the day taking it all in.

Kate and I were enjoying the moment while Noah and Sam stayed on task.

I had worried that bringing Sam would be too much, but I quickly saw that he kept us all on track.

"Where is Apollo supposed to be again?" Sam asked, looking around the battery.

Noah leaned on the Jeep, putting on his sunglasses.

"He's staying right over there," Noah pointed down the street to a row of beautiful homes, "But I doubt he is home now."

"We should go and check anyway," Sam told him.

"We can split up then," Noah straightened his spine, "Kate and I will scope out everything, and you two can go to the house."

"Guys, we just got out of the car. Can't we take a minute and relax?" Kate asked hopefully, looking around to the beautiful park we sat in.

"We don't have time to relax. We may have a deadline and not know it."

"But what if we _don't_ have a deadline and you're rushing things for no reason?"

Ever since this began, Sam had been working up the prophecy. Kate had been working it down. And Noah never spoke of it.

I wished he would. I wanted him to admit that it was going on, so at least I knew he wouldn't be completely shell-shocked if something bad did happen. I also wanted support from him. He was my older brother, I adored him, and I wanted him to show that he trusted in me, too.

But I wasn't sure what I would do if he did speak of it.

I kept talking it up that I would be so great, but I really doubted I would.

"Sam, do you have your cell phone?" Noah broke up Sam and Kate before it ended up in a fight.

"Yeah," he reached in his pocket for his smartphone.

"Good. I'll call you if we see anything, and call us if he is there," Noah put his cell phone in his pocket, and Kate hesitantly stood.

I wasn't exactly sure how, but Kate and Noah actually looked like natives, though Kate kept wanting to stop and look at stuff. Even though Sam and I were on a definite mission, we looked like tourist, and tourist happened to get more attention than I wanted.

"And, if neither of us calls in an hour, we meet back here."

"Deal," Noah nodded, and we all looked to each other.

I felt a little out in this group I'll admit. I love them all, but I was at _least_ five years younger than all of them. They were already past teens and in their young adult stage, and I wasn't even really in my teens yet.

I suddenly missed Emily-Rose.

"Let's do this," Kate slung her backpack over her shoulder, and she was the on to finally break the square and start walking away with Noah.

I looked back to Sam.

Sam and I were never as close as I was to Kate, which I guess made sense. He was older than me by seven years, and he had never really been good with kids. He loved me, and I loved him. But it was a different kind of love, cousin love instead of sisterly love like what I had with Kate.

It doesn't look that far away," Sam shrugged, "Let's start walking.

_**Warning, I live right outside of Charleston, and I absolutely adore it. So you are about to hear a lot of compliments for the old city.**_


	6. Welcome to Charleston

_**Kate,**_

"I can't remember, did we ever stop in Charleston?" Noah asked as I savored the beautiful city, not that he was really letting me.

"No, Columbia," I stopped to read a sign, and Noah moaned.

"We're not sight-seeing, Kate," Noah reminded me.

"You're right. If we were, you would be on that boat over there," I pointed towards the water, "And we would be listening to a lecture over Fort Sumter. Now, just _indulge_ me and shut up."

"You are just like Annabeth," Noah rolled his eyes, pushing his sunglasses up his nose as he looked out to the busy streets of people here for the summer.

"You always say you love Annabeth. Is that what you're trying to tell me?" I flashed a smile back at him, straightening Noah's Braves cap on my head.

The sun was high in the sky and reflecting off the water, and it blanketed me with warmth, which I partially accounted for Apollo's presence in the city. With the small breeze, you could be perfectly comfortable. But it was a good ten degrees hotter here than in New York, if not more.

Even in shorts and a tee shirt, I was beginning to sweat.

I had no clue how Noah was so comfortable, but then again, he never ceases to amaze me.

Including how he remained perfect after driving for about twelve hours.

Noah's black hair was wavy and messy, but it was in a cute way. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and shone in the summer sun. His khaki shorts were wrinkled, and his tee shirt carefully had no logo on it. He had an adorable smile, and he his skin was flawless. His cheekbones were high, and his lips looked perfectly sculpted.

I couldn't even say, "Well, this guy is hotter than Noah," whenever I tried to move on from him…

"Come on, Kate," Noah told me.

I rolled my eyes but followed after him anyway, leaving behind the beautiful sea to go deeper into the city. The roads suddenly stopped being so perfectly paved and became uneven cobblestone. More tourists in tee shirts and fanny packs packed the sidewalks.

Stores, hotels, and restaurants lined the streets. Once again, I felt tempted to stop and look, but I decided against it.

As we neared the market, I noticed it was packed with people ready to shop.

I was about to ask if we could go in, but Noah was already off to go deeper into the street. He was walking fast, and I had to do the same to keep up with him. When he finally slowed down, we were surrounded by beautiful homes and people stopping to take pictures.

We just kept walking.

Our silence was a comfortable silence, one that can only be between friends. But I couldn't really be comfortable with it. I had spent the last twelve hours, if not the last year, wondering what he had been doing, and now I had a chance to ask.

I was opening my mouth to ask the question when Noah spoke up.

"So," he began, "What have you been doing?"

I looked over to him as if to ask what he meant.

"You know, this year, I mean. We didn't really talk much…"

Noah's eyes darted to the ground, and I understood why this was a touchy subject. It was for me, too.

"Oh, um," I pushed my hair behind my ear, "school I guess. And I have to share a room with Adriane, you know how she can be. She's been kind of on a binge recently where she thinks I need to get out there and get life."

I looked away.

Adriane was my roommate. She was the daughter of Iris, and we had been in different circles at camp. But things changed when we were paired to share a dorm room our Freshman year. We became like sisters, and she had been a big help whenever I tried to start over without Noah.

When it came to Noah though, we hadn't been so close anymore. She was one of the few who believed I didn't love Noah because she had never seen me with him. So, when she met him, she fell for him, too, and, even though I didn't want to be with him and wanted to get over him, I hated it. Especially she tried to have "girl talk" about him.

Adriane most definitely wasn't ugly, and Noah had even seemed to show an interest in her when they first met when she came with me to Thanksgiving Break. Adriane had curly black hair and black eyes, and her skin was tan with the tattoo of a rainbow in honor of her mother. She wasn't as tall as me, but running track made her leaner than me.

"Yeah, Sam is the same way."

"So, uh, soccer is going well for you, I guess?"

"Yeah, I love it," Noah smiled, "I mean, I kind of wish I had gotten a chance to go to college and everything. But I just love my job."

Soccer had always been Noah's baby, and it was adorable to hear him talk about it.

Even though I wasn't exactly fond of the way things turned out for us, I did love that he got that. He had always wanted to be where he was, the star of a smaller team and working his way up to his dream of Manchester United.

That was another reason I had tried to let him go.

It wouldn't be long until he was packing his stuff up to go across the pond, and I would still be here…

"That's great," I smiled his way, pushing my hair behind my ear.

"We better work our way back in," Noah motioned for us to start walking to the way we came from.

I nodded, and I smiled to myself as we got near the market.

Despite how it made me turn the shade of a tomato, I wrapped my hand around his, and, while he was still shocked by that, I pulled him into the market before he could object.

_**Charlie,**_

It wasn't until now that I finally understood how Sam had enough focus to be a professional soccer player.

Before now, I hadn't really been able to see exactly what brought my brother and Sam together. Sam was a guy who knew he could get anything he wanted, and he was actually kind of lazy as well. His usual position was on the couch or with a girl under his arm.

I loved Sam. We were family.

But I didn't exactly _respect_ him though.

Now I was seeing a new Sam, and I would have liked this new side to him.

He was professional, on topic, and a genius. He was strategic and good at what he did.

I could suddenly see the Athena blood we both shared, and I should have felt excited that we had something in common. In the last few years, we hadn't shared any similarities. Apart from being different because of our ages, we were just different people.

Today was a refreshing change.

But it was hard to admire this moment when it was really happening.

This was our first stop of quest, and it felt unreal.

I needed to process it.

And Sam was moving fast and refusing to give me the time I needed.

"You can slow down, Sam," I crossed my arms, but Sam just kept walking.

"We need to find Apollo."

"He's immortal, he's not going anywhere."

Sam let out a smirk and ruffled my hair, which just made me steam.

Sam seemed to be convinced I was _three _years old, not _thirteen_.

It was annoying when my dad did it. Funny when Aunt Rachel did it. And _unbearable_ when it came to Sam.

I fixed my hair, and Sam checked the address Noah had written down earlier for Apollo's vacation home in Charleston.

I was kind of shocked by Apollo's choice to be here. Yes, it was beautiful and grand _and_ full of beautiful women for Apollo to woo. It just wasn't exactly his type, I guess…

He was known for his to-die-for modern apartment in the center of the city. He was into urban and modern and definitely a good party. Usually, you would find him in the hottest clubs, talking up the hottest girls. Or in the most-wanted apartment in the city. Or enjoying his godly privileges.

Charleston was more sedate, more beautiful, and less party-oriented.

It wasn't exactly his thing…

"What time is it?" Sam asked, and I looked down to my watch.

"Four."

Sam nodded, and he walked faster.

"Why? What are you thinking?"

"Well, Apollo is known for being the cool guy at the parties, right? And the cool guy isn't there from opening to closing. So, he's probably not there yet. But he's probably about to leave if he wants to stop for a bite and some waitresses to hit on."

I stopped and stared at the tall blonde, and Sam had to stop along with me so he wouldn't lose me.

"What?" he cracked a smile.

"Nothing, that was just… really smart," I smiled.

"You seemed shocked. We share the same grandmother, you know," Sam laughed.

I could suddenly see why so many girls had fallen victim and fallen in love with Sam.

For years, I always thought it was just his good looks, popularity, or his family connections.

I had never seen exactly the personal appeal, but I saw it now.

He was witty and funny. He was handsome and brave. He was at top physical condition and had a great ambition. He was also loyal to his family friends. If you didn't know that you weren't the only girl he had loved and left, you might have just fallen in love with him on the spot.

But I did know, and I also knew that we shared the same grandmother, which was too much for me.

"You don't always show it."

"Just because I don't run a big company or save the world with science or anything doesn't mean I'm not smart. I am just a little different from the rest of my family…" Sam smirked, and he turned back into his focused mode and kept walking.

"I thought Noah said it was nearby," I complained.

Then all of a sudden, Sam stopped.

"It is," Sam smiled, and he started walking up the walkway to one of the many beautiful homes on the water.

The house looked old but definitely taken care of. Everything was manicured, and, if anything, it looked empty except for the Jaguar in the driveway.

"You sure this is it?" I raised my eyes at Sam, and he shrugged.

"We'll just have to find out," he smiled at me as he started up the sweeping stairs to the Charleston home.

After a moment of staring at the door, Sam finally pressed the button for the doorbell.

We stood in a nervous silence, wondering if we were walking into a trap, and then I heard a voice.

"No, I got it!" there was a faint male voice, and it began to get closer, "Coming!"

"Is that Apollo's voice?" I turned back to Sam, and he shrugged.

Before I could really think about it, the door was open, and my jaw almost dropped.

Standing at the door was a 6'1 boy who looked to be in between fifteen and eighteen.

He looked… angelic though I couldn't figure out why. His sandy blonde hair was wet and falling in his ocean blue eyes. His body had taken training to get, and his face definitely did not show that of innocence. But there was something about him that just made me think angel…

"I think we have the wrong house. I am so sorry to bother you-" Sam began, turning away, but the boy stopped him.

"No, you don't. You're looking for my father, Apollo, right?" the boy raised his eyebrow, like this was a regular occurrence.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, a little shocked.

"He's out. But he'll be back soon. You guys can wait."

I looked to Sam, who thought about it for a moment.

Finally, with his hand carefully on his dagger, he nodded.

"Sure. I'm Sam."

"I'm Aiden."

Aiden looked to me.

"Charlie."

_**Noah,**_

"We're supposed to be in the park in thirty minutes," I reminded Kate, letting out a moan, "We don't have time to eat."

Kate smiled back at me, pulling on my arm as she pulled me towards Fleet Landing, a restaurant by the water. I noticed that, in the sunshine, she was even more beautiful. And I suddenly wished she would wear my hat forever, though I hadn't been too ecstatic when she took it.

I pretended to be upset when she pulled me in anyway, but I honestly wanted her to do that.

This was the first time in forever that Kate was…Kate again.

Not quiet or walled up. Not staring at her cell phone to avoid talking to me. Not spending her time with my little sister so we didn't have to be together. Not making me wonder if she hated me…

It felt surreal to be honest.

It felt like yesterday that we were not talking to each other, pretending to be perfectly fine as we stayed as far away from each other as possible. We kept saying that we were still friends whenever our parents asked, but we never made any contact.

I wanted to. We were so close, but I knew we were also so far away. I didn't need to be around her. I was still fighting those feelings I had for her. I thought that, if I pushed her away, it was pushing my feelings way. I thought that, if I kept Kate away long enough, we could be alright again and I could bring her back in.

But I soon saw that things didn't work like that. I still loved her. Things would never be the same. And I could never bring her back.

When I pushing her away though, I never noticed that she was pushing me away, too. She was starting a new life, and it didn't take long before I got the hint.

So instead of getting back in touch with her, I sat on Facebook and watched as she posted things with the people she was in contact with.

Even when we went to camp together, we still weren't talking really. We were better, and we were friends again. But we weren't what we used to be, and I was beginning to fear that I would never have my Kate back again.

And now here she was, pulling me off to a restaurant by the water in the beautiful city of Charleston.

Since we had decided to pair off, I had completely forgotten about my worries. I hadn't thought about Charlie's prophecy or the quest we were currently on. I went shopping in a crowded market with Kate, making her laugh the entire time, and I even got to talk to Kate.

"Just French Fries, okay?" Kate smiled at me.

"Yeah, just French Fries."

"Hey, we can see from here. We're close to the house," Kate smirked, and I followed after her to the crowded restaurant.

Being New Yorkers, it wasn't that hard to push our way through the crowd to the hostess, a pretty college student who smiled at the two of us.

"How many?"

"Two."

"It'll be a forty minute wait."

Kate quickly worked it out where we could go to the bar, and we made our way through the restaurant slowly, despite how mad that made the people behind us. Kate and I made it through the main part of the restaurant, though I had to pull her away from the history on the wall, and I opened the door to the wrap around deck.

She smiled her thanks, and she went out, only to stop by the water.

She took a breath of sea air, and she looked back to me with a smirk.

"Beautiful, huh?"

"Definitely," I smiled in her direction, only it wasn't at the water…

Kate's eyes stayed glued to mine, and, all of a sudden, they flew back to the packed bar.

"French fries?"

"Yeah," I nodded, and Kate was beginning to work her way through the crowd around the bar when she suddenly froze.

Kate pulled me to her by my arm, and she pointed towards the center of the party.

"Is that…?" Kate asked, but she couldn't finish before he saw us.

"Noah! Kate! You've grown up!" he called us to him, and the crowd moved to let him get to us.

"Apollo."

Apollo was handsome, even I had to admit that. His skin was a golden tan, and he had a white cotton shirt unbuttoned to show his six-pack. His sandy blonde hair was messed up by the wind, but, while mine looked horrible, he looked perfect.

Apollo was the perfect guy who you hated.

He was nice and you could be friends if he wasn't so perfect. You felt inferior, and you hated having any girl you like around him.

And I had the girl I was in love with beside me…

"You've grown up so much. Great to see you. Thanks for winning that game, by the way. Great party," Apollo smiled, hugging me before turning to Kate.

He stopped, as if to marvel at her, and she blushed.

_Oh great…_

"Kate," he put his hand over his heart, "You look amazing. You've grown up to be a beautiful woman."

"Uh, thank you," Kate blushed, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"It is a delight to see you again, Kate," Apollo took her hand and kissed it gently, making Kate turn even redder.

"It's great to see you, too, Apollo," Kate smiled at Apollo, and he opened his mouth to say something back. But I said something first.

"We were looking for you, actually."

"Oh, this is a business meeting," Apollo shook his head, letting go of Kate's hand, "Hold on. Let's get a table and a few drinks."

Apollo made a gesture to a waitress, and she made her way to us.

"Three please, Darling," Apollo smiled at her, and she smiled.

"Come with me."

"I don't think we actually have time. Charlie is waiting at the house-"

"Oh, my son, Aiden, is there. It'll be fine. Come on. Have a drink with me. Besides, we have business to talk about, right?"

"Uh," I started, but Apollo was walking away with Kate and the waitress before I could.

_Well, okay then…_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Noah,**_

"Three mojitos and two waters," the waitress put a mojito in front of each of us at the table and the two waters in front of Kate and me, "I'll give you a minute to decide."

I opened my mouth to say that we didn't have time to eat, but Apollo cut me off.

"Just dessert actually. Crème Brulee for the lady," Apollo smiled at Kate, "Red Velvet for him. And that double-chocolate cake for me."

Apollo smiled seductively at the waitress, and she blushed as she turned back to put in the order.

"Thank you, Apollo," Kate smiled at Apollo.

It was hard to think that, a year ago, I was actually friends with Apollo, though he often brought up embarrassing stories from when I was a child.

But, as I sat here today, I almost hated him. It wasn't that he was perfect, as a god should be. It wasn't that he could get anything he wanted. It wasn't even the fact that he could do anything without consequences, except for the fact that he still had a cabin full of kids at Camp.

It was the fact that Kate was in on it.

Things were different when we were kids.

Kate was always adorable. She was fun and a little crazy I'll admit. She was the kind of kid who wanted to wrap up in a hug and never let go.

Now, she was beautiful. She was confident but not mean about it. And she was still the person who wanted to wrap up in a hug and never let go…

And Apollo was noticing…

I wasn't exactly sure why it ate me up, but it did.

And it wasn't helping that Kate blushed at everything he said to her…

"Cheers to old friends," Apollo held up his mojito, and Kate and I both held up our glasses.

He was about to take a sip when he stopped.

"Wait, are you old enough to drink?" Apollo shook his head, "You know what? Never mind, drink up."

I shrugged and decided I needed a drink.

When Kate and I put our glasses down, Apollo leaned back into his booth, holding the glass merrily as he looked between the two of us.

"I still can't believe you're so grown up. It feels like yesterday, Noah, that I was taking you to a soccer game when your father was having tutoring after class. Do you remember? You were four or five then," Apollo smiled.

"Uh, yeah, you had some girl with you."

"Girl…" Apollo knit his eyebrows as he thought about it, "Oh, right, Alexis. After that, we didn't see much of each other. I think it was because I had a thing for Annabeth… Your dad didn't really like that, but, I mean, I didn't do _anything_ when she was dating your father. Just when she was dating Henry."

Apollo shrugged, taking another sip of his drink.

I just kept staring.

"Oh, wait, you two didn't know about that…" Apollo smiled apologetically, and he quickly waved over another waitress and pointed towards his almost empty drink, which she understood.

"So, Apollo, we need to ask you something-" Kate began, and Apollo sighed.

"What is it with you Demigods and working so much?" Apollo finished his drink, "Alright, alright. I understand. You are here for work, I suppose. Now tell me all about it."

Kate looked to me, telling me that it was my story to tell.

"Well, it's about Charlie," I began, and Apollo's fun-loving, calm eyes got softer.

The waitress arrived with the drink, and Apollo smiled weakly as he took a long sip.

"It's time."

I nodded.

Apollo sighed but nodded.

Charlie was hated by some, such as Hera. But he was adored by Apollo, Aphrodite, Hestia, and many others.

Apollo especially adored her, which actually made my father pretty nervous about whether his grandchild might share the DNA of Apollo when Charlie grew up, but it was actually pretty cute to everyone else.

Apollo had kind of been there in my life, usually coming in to be the "Great Uncle Apollo" to impress women. Apollo kind of faded out when my dad started dating Annabeth again, and he didn't show back up until Charlie was born, which was only a year later.

For crying out loud, Apollo had decided that he wanted Charlie to marry one of his sons, though my father still worried that he was going to go after her when she was an adult.

"You said she's at the house, right?" Apollo asked.

I nodded.

"Well, Aiden will take care of her. He's my son, you know, of the Roman form. Great kid, I wanted to spend some time with him. So I brought him here… Relaxing, don't you think?" Apollo smiled, and I tried to get him back on topic.

"So, do you know what we need to do?"

"Her name is Olympia, no one knows of her. She never had any stories. Never known. I only know of her because I was after her at some point, but, as a priestess, she could not. And she refused me," Apollo waved that off, "She was beautiful, smart, and very important. In fact, she was the high priestess of _Athens_."

I instantly knew where this was going.

Charlie was the child who shouldn't have been born.

Our grandparents were enemies and had been since Athens. Athena and Poseidon both wanted to be the god of the city, and Athena was chosen. Ever since, they hated each other…

It had angered Athena when Annabeth started dating my father, and my grandfather was happy for the two of them, though he still didn't like Athena. It wasn't until Charlie was born that they had some sort of truce for the sake of their granddaughter.

"She chose Athena," Apollo nodded, "Poseidon was angry, he banished her to the stone underworld. She ate the food and got trapped forever. There's more to the story, I just don't know it. I'm guessing she wants Charlie because she hates both of her grandparents."

Kate and I stared at Apollo.

It was a lot of information.

Yes, we wanted it.

But, since Charlie was seven and was first contacted by the woman, we had been wondering all of this.

And now here it was, all on the table.

It was too much to take in at once, and I suddenly felt like drinking more.

I took a long gulp of the mojito and nodded for him to continue, and Kate leaned into the table.

She was about to say something when a waitress arrived with a tray packed with three desserts.

We pulled away for her to put away three plates, and our food looked delicious, especially my red velvet cake, which happened to be my favorite dessert. But I was thinking about too many things to focus on how good the cake looked.

Apollo seemed to be the only one who still had an appetite, taking a big bite of his double chocolate cake.

"This is delicious. Are you guys sure you don't want to taste this? You'll love it. I think I might want another actually," he took another big bite of the cake.

"Apollo," Kate crossed her arms.

"Eat your dessert. You are staying with me tonight, all four of you. Aiden will be excited, he's been with his old man this entire time, you know. We can finish talking about business later. For now, eat your dessert. Finish your drinks. And then we are heading home."

_**Charlie,**_

I looked at the text from Kate for the millionth time.

**Found Apollo. Eating with him. He wants to talk. We're coming to the house afterwards.**

**-Kate**

I got the text about thirty minutes ago, and we already been sitting here for fifteen minutes. It wouldn't have been as awkward if it hadn't been for numerous factors.

Sam didn't seem to like Aiden that much, saying to me that he didn't trust people as easily as I did, and he was often fidgety about why Kate and Noah were taking so long.

Aiden didn't know what to say, and he didn't seem to take a liking to Sam either.

And I had to admit I was a little mesmerized by the interesting Aiden.

Though I still didn't know how old he was, I saw up-close that he was closer to my age than I thought. When his hair was dry, it was more sandy blonde than my golden blonde. His eyes were navy blue, but they shimmered in the light.

Then there were the tattoos…

The tattoo on his arm for being a roman showed that he was the son of Apollo with what looked like eight years under his belt, but I couldn't tell exactly how long because he had put on a shirt since coming straight from the shower in jeans to the door. But he couldn't really hide the tattoo on the nape of his neck.

Like the tattoo of the Romans, Aiden's tattoo was set into his skin, more of being branded than getting a tattoo. It the shape of angle wings, and it was an amazing copy…

Aiden was different from people I had met before, and, having demigods and even the eccentric billionaire through my mom's work, I knew some pretty _interesting_ people.

"So, you play soccer, right?" Aiden asked.

Sam looked up from his cell phone.

"How do you know that?"

I rolled my eyes. Sam had been acting like he was under interrogation since we got here.

"My dad. He was talking about the party that night. He met some girl, Cheyenne, at the game."

"My ex," Sam nodded.

"Did you go to the game?" I cut in before we could have another awkward silence.

"Uh, no," Aiden nodded towards me, "I was in California. I only got to the East Coast last week. So I wasn't around for the game. But Apollo hasn't stopped talking about it."

_They're pretty close,_ I noticed, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want _another_ awkward silence.

"California?"

"New Rome," Aiden nodded.

"Oh," I nodded as well.

"Where are you two from?"

Before Sam could ask why, I answered.

"New York City."

"By Olympus."

That was probably the first time I had ever heard anyone bring up Olympus when I said New York. Usually, you heard about the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building or something iconic like that.

I could tell immediately that he had spent a lot of time in the Roman Camp, not New Rome.

My parent's best friends had kids over there, and they were as close to normal as demigods could get. Aiden, on the other hand, I didn't know.

Why was I wondering about him so much?

"Yeah."

"So, how are you guys…?"

"Godly?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Aiden nodded.

"My grandmothers are Demeter and Athena's. Charlie's grandmother is Athena, and her grandfather is Poseidon. We're second generation."

Aiden's eyes met mine, which made my heart stop for a brief second.

His eyes were pure energy, pure electricity.

"You're the _Daughter of the Mind and Sea_?"

"Yes," I answered, though my voice was guarded now.

"That's why you're here…" his voice seemed to fill with pity and some sort of respect.

Did everyone know about this except for me?"

"You know? I didn't know that it had traveled to New Rome," I rubbed my arm.

"Praetor Jason. He talks about you all the time, always says that it was seeing you that finally convinced his wife to have their daughter, Thalia, and little Thalia convinced them to have Roman," Aiden looked down, maybe embarrassed from being too much on a touchy subject.

I loved little Thalia, and I adored Roman. Thalia was eleven, and Roman was almost nine. Uncle Jason always told the story about how he had basically wanted a baby since he said "I do" but that his wife hadn't been on the same page due to their unsafe past and enemies who might want to hurt the child. He always smiled and kissed the top of my head, swooping his children into his arms, as he said, "And then she saw Charlie and saw that it really was possible for us."

It was kind of cute, I had to admit.

"Yeah, Uncle Jason never shuts up about it."

I glanced towards Sam, to see he was staring at us like we were crazy, as if I was "getting friendly with the enemy" as he had once told Kate on a quest and had never lived down.

I was about to try to change the subject when the door suddenly opened.

"Aiden?"

I could recognize that smooth, seductive voice anywhere.

Apollo.

"I picked up a few friends," Apollo walked in to the doorway, "And I hear you did, too."

He winked, and Aiden blushed at his father.

"Aiden, this is Noah. I knew his father, and I used to babysit Noah," Apollo patted my brother's back, "And this is Kate."

He delicately put a hand on Kate's back and smiled at her.

Noah steamed, a dead giveaway to the fact that he had been in love with her for years. Luckily, Sam was steaming, too, and didn't notice.

"She has grown up to be a vision," Apollo's smile widened, and Kate blushed.

Noah's jaw tightened.

Apollo moved over to me and set a hand on my back.

"And this is my little Charlotte. She's Noah's little sister, well half-sister technically. But can't you see the similarities. Of course, Charlie looks a lot like her mother, too. Her mother, Annabeth, is gorgeous as well. You know, I once had a thing for her, but she was always in a _steady_ relationship. I guess I can understand Percy Jackson, but those boring business men she dated when they took a break? She chose _them_ over me?"

"Um, Apollo," I cut him off, and Apollo suddenly seemed to realize we were still there.

"Oh, right, sorry. This is Charlie Jackson."

Sam let out a cough.

"Oh, and that's Sam, Kate's brother," Apollo brushed him off as he walked over to his son, "Everyone, this is my son, Aiden. He's Roman, a big military figure over there. I am _very_ proud of him."

Aiden looked down, probably embarrassed by his dad.

"Now that we all know each other, let's get settled," Apollo called over a servant, and Sam looked to Noah and Kate.

"Settled?"

"Apollo has _insisted_ we spend the night," Noah raised his eyebrows to show it wasn't a choice.

"Well, why not? I have enough room, and you have a long journey to LA."

"LA?" I asked.

"No, business now, Charlie," Apollo held up his hand, "Business talk requires drinks."

I was about to say something, but a servant quickly coming in cut me off.

"There you are. I want this young man in the Magnolia Room," he gestured to Sam, and Apollo precided to give everyone room assignments, leading down to me, "And Charlie in the Maple Room."

_**Kate,**_

When I got to my room, I found out why Apollo had told me not to get my bag. Everything I could ever need- and quite a bit more-was there, in the giant room I was supposed to call my own for the night.

It was absolutely amazing. I had the view to the back, looking at the small but beautiful courtyard that held roses and magnolia trees and jasmine, making the most delicious smell I could ever imagine. The windows were all open to the heat, but I only felt the gentle breeze instead of the burning weather. I could feel the sea air, and I doubted I would be able to get myself to leave.

After grabbing a mint chocolate from the bed and feeling the silk comforter, I went to the closet, biting my tongue as I imagined the revealing outfit Apollo had laid out for me.

When he sent us to our rooms, he told us that we each had an outfit laid out for tonight, and I had instantly dreaded going up stairs to see what I would have.

Instantly, I imagined all of those barely-there dresses you saw the women wearing who were on his arm like an accessory if you saw him out partying.

I had to admit that I did like the attention from Apollo, especially with how little I got from Noah, but I knew it was just attention. Apollo was the god of the guys who don't call back, and I was perfectly fine to stay away from that for the foreseeable future.

And I liked to see Sam get made like that…

And Noah… If I wasn't mistaken, Noah almost looked _jealous_.

I wondered what their reaction would be when they saw the most-likely horrible dress Apollo had left for me. Would Sam get angry or laugh? And what on earth would Noah do?

After what felt like forever of staring at the door leading to the closet, I finally got up the nerve to open the door.

In the doorway to the walk-in-closet full of clothes that were all my size and all amazing, there was a single dress.

It was… actually amazing.

I mean, it reminded me of _Gone with the Wind_, but in a good way. It was the color of the green of the lake back of camp, and the taffeta fabric was formed in a sweeping mini skirt. There were buttons from the top to bottom, stopping at the waist where it left a plunging neckline, where I knew I could put something under it.

_Who picked this out?_ I wonder to myself, running my hand over the beautiful dress.

But I didn't care who picked it out, as long as it was now mine.

I smiled, noticing the nude pumps beside it, and I noticed the door to the bathroom.

I knew I hadnt been on the quest long and that I had been much, much dirtier before, but looking at a bathroom as tempting as that, I suddenly started trying to talk myself into a long relaxing bubble bath…

"He said we have an hour," I smiled wide, stripping as I walked into the bathroom and turned on the water.

As I slid into the hot water, I let out a relaxed moan, and I let my thoughts drift out of my mind for a moment.

But, as a granddaughter of Athena, it could only last a moment before I started thinking again.

But not about Charlie or the quest or even Apollo.

No, SoccerGuy18. And Noah….

I was caught between a guy I had never met and a guy I could never have…

Quickly, I dried my hands off with a towel and reached for a cell phone as I began to draft an email.

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**Sorry, I've been kind of busy. I had to leave Camp with my brother and Green and his little sister. A family visit, I guess. We've been on the road, and my brother is a horrible driver.**

**I am stuck with Green on a big road trip, but it doesn't feel like I'm stuck. I mean, we're getting along. Today, I felt like we were normal, and I don't think I can handle that.**

**The last time we were "normal", I ended up crying on the night of his senior prom as I realized that I would always be his little sister and that I had to move on. I have more to worry about I guess, but its all I can think about.**

**-Pixar**

I pressed send, and I leaned back in the tub.

I finished up my bath, and I was drying my hair when I noticed my phone was blinking with an email.

I almost broke the hair dryer in my mad dash for the cell phone, and I hurriedly read through, praying to the gods it was a message from SoccerGuy.

**To: PixarRules4**

**From: SoccerGuy18**

**Oh, it's no problem. We've been on a family road trip, too, I guess. It's a camp excursion, but my uncle, who runs the camp, only wanted Dianna, Nat, my little sister Lucy, and Dianna to come with us.**

**There is this guy, Adam. He has a history with being a womanizer, and he's starting to flirt with Dianna all the time. I mean, I know nothing will happen because she is smarter than that, but it is eating me up. I don't know what to do.**

**I thought I had moved on from that stage, that maybe we could be okay again. But I don't think we can…**

**My little sister, Lucy, isn't helping. She wants me and Dianna together, and she knows how I feel about her. It's not that she says anything, but it's that look. That "Man up, Big Brother, and do it!" and I know I should. But I can't…**

**I thought Nat being here would be easier for me and Dianna, but he can't know how much I like his sister. It would kill him… no, he would kill **_**me. **_**So I feel like I have to act even more…**

**Wow, aren't we downers today?**

**-SoccerGuy**

* * *

_**So, you got some IMing. And more Aiden and Apollo/Kate/Noah. And I also dragged it on to another chapter.**_

_**But what do you think of Aiden?**_

_**AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Charlie,**_

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I wasn't exactly sure it was me.

I was shocked to adore it as much as I did, especially considering the hassle of shopping last month to buy a dress for the school dance.

It was the Spring Fling, a chance for girls to get dressed up and brag about dates. We talked about it for days and got all excited for it, talking about spending times with our dates and dancing our feet off. But, even if you had a date, the girls and boys separated in clumps as soon as we got there.

I hadn't wanted to go, but Emily-Rose somehow tricked me into it.

The dance wasn't bad, but it was shopping for the dress.

A week before, my mom and I went into Manhattan to look for the dress, and we went from place to place. It was torture and trying on different colors, different styles, and not even my genius mother could make it fun until we agreed to give up, went for pizza, and had my grandmother pick something out and bring it to us.

I could wear dresses, though I didn't often. But I wasn't good at finding formal…. Or enjoying wearing it much.

And now here I stood, in an overly expensive, overly decorated dress, and I felt… beautiful and even _comfortable._

The dress was a perfect shade of blue and was soft on my skin, and there was one chiffon off-the shoulder sleeve and one short sleeve on the other side. The top was embroidered with a golden design, and the chiffon draped around me.

Even my messy blonde hair seemed to be prettier and more manageable because of the dress.

After I felt like I had stared at myself in the mirror long enough, I left my spacious room, and I started down the sweeping stairs to the living room where Apollo wanted us to meet him.

And then I saw him…

Aiden was in his room, the door cracked open, and he was dressed in a perfect suit. His blonde hair was still falling into his ocean blue eyes, and he had hidden the angel wings tattoo on his neck, as well as the Roman tattoo.

But he wasn't exactly what was drawing me to the door, though I admit that was part of it.

It was that music… That amazing music.

Bent over an acoustic guitar, he was proving his parentage, and the sound was so sweet my knees almost melted.

I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help but stop by the door and stare.

And then he looked up.

My brain stopped.

"Charlie, hey," he put away his guitar, and I was frozen there, knowing I should leave. But I couldn't help it.

"You're really good," I told him, and he shrugged.

"I haven't played in a long time…" Aiden stood, opening the door where he could see me better, and I could have sworn he gasped. But I wasn't exactly sure.

For the first time, I was noticing the scar between his jaw bone and the base of his neck.

From what that could have been caused by, I had no clue how he survived…

And then he caught me staring.

He put a hand to the scar and smiled weakly.

"My dad mentioned that I was a big military figure in New Rome. This is just what comes with it," Aiden, "I'm lucky to only have a few scars after all of the years I spent in the camp."

"How old are you?"

He smiled at the bold question.

"I mean, you look sixteen or seventeen, but, by the way you talk of your life, it sounds like you're older… and I was just wondering."

"I turned fifteen two months ago."

"Fifteen?" my eyes widened.

"Why do you look so shocked? How old are you?"

Suddenly, I felt kind of embarrassed to admit I was thirteen.

I was once again the youngest, the child out of budding young adults.

I had to admit that, even though it was only for the night, I had hoped that Aiden was somehow closer to my age than I had expected so that I would no longer be the middle schoolers surrounded by college students and college-age kids.

"Thirteen."

"Really?"

"You seemed shocked, too. I thought Uncle Jason talked about me," I crossed my arms.

"Yeah, he talked about five-year old you," he laughed, "Like when you wore your Little Mermaid costume every day for two weeks after Halloween."

I blushed and looked down to my feet.

"He didn't."

"Oh, he did. And that is not the worst of it."

"Who was Me-Mo?"

I froze, my eyes wide.

"I-I-" I looked up, staring at him.

He had a big playful smile, leaning on the door frame.

That awkwardness, which happened to be a big tip off that he didn't spend much time with girls, had evaporated, and it showed something I was actually beginning to like underneath it.

"How do you know about Me-Mo?"

Me-Mo was one of my favorite toys, the only gift from a godly grandparent that I could carry around instead of something that weighed more than me. I named it when I first saw _Finding Nemo_, and I thought all fish were named Nemo, though it was a mammal. And I couldn't say Nemo, so I said Me-Mo.

"Your Aunt Hazel just loves to talk, especially when Roma and Nicholas are playing. She gets all motherly, and, if you bring hot chocolate, she'll tell you anything."

I turned as bright red as possible, and I suddenly looked at him.

"Wait, why did you ask her about Charlie Jackson?" I crossed my arms.

"Actually, uh," Aiden stopped, "We were talking about Roma's doll, Mr. Snuggles."

"_Mrs. Snuggles_."

"Sorry, _Mrs._ Snuggles. Did I insult poor Mrs. Snuggles?"

"So are you their babysitter or something?" I asked, and Aiden shrugged.d

"Uh, yeah, I uh-"

He stopped because we both heard the sound of high heels on the hardwood floors, and my eyes shot back to Kate.

My eyes widened.

Kate was beautiful. I had known this for years, but now was even more proof of this.

Her long brown curls were let loose around her with a bobby pin holding it out of her grey eyes. Her long legs were shone off in her short dress, and her heels made her even taller. Though she complained that she was out of shape since she quit swimming last year, she was curvy and definitely not out of shape. Kate looked like her mother, though she had the same thick lips I had that we had both gotten from Athena.

No wonder Noah loved her so much…

Kate was everything I kind of wanted to be. She knew who she was, what she wanted to be, and how to push past the name of her family and friends to live up to. She wasn't still a thirteen year old trying to figure out who she was supposed to be.

Was I supposed to be brilliant like my mom? Impulsive but genius like my dad? Strong like my brother? Or could I even make any of the expectations put up to me by everyone?

"Hey," Kate walked up to the two of us.

"Hey, we should probably get downstairs," Aiden gave Kate the once-over that everyone gave Kate, but he didn't forget me about me like the older guys usually did.

"Sure," Kate nodded, and he closed the door behind him, leading us down the stairs.

"So, what's up with you and Aiden? What were you doing before we got here?" Kate smirked, nudging me.

"How was dessert with Noah?"

She glared at me, and I smiled as I walked down the stairs.

_**Noah,**_

Dinner was everything I expected.

Everyone looked great, especially Kate and Charlie. The food was delicious, each dish our favorite to each of us. And Apollo wouldn't leave Kate alone.

I knew that was going to happen, but it was a sealed deal when Apollo called Kate to sit beside him at dinner. It opened with him asking her about college, Adriane, and if she liked living in the dorms. It was small talk, but it was bearable. And then Apollo started talking about himself.

By desert, he was composing new poems about how amazing he is and testing them out with us.

"To be me

Is to never be lonely…" Apollo continued, forgetting about the chocolate cake in front of him as he focused on his favorite thing in the entire world, himself.

I looked across the table to Kate, who was smiling politely but continuously reaching for her glass of wine and rolling her eyes when he wasn't looking. She was trying to seem as interested as she had been before, but only Apollo couldn't see that she was growing tired of him.

Sam was drinking and not hiding it, motioning for a new glass with every new poem or new story about how awesome Apollo was. Occasionally, when it got really bad, I even saw him sneak out his smartphone and start texting.

And Charlie and Aiden were having a small conversation about Roma, Aunt Hazel's daughter.

They were getting along pretty well, becoming friends from what I could see. And I had this terrible nervousness.

I couldn't help but feel overprotective of my younger sister, Charlie. It was a new kind of feeling. I had been protective of her from monsters or having to grow up. Or even this…

But I felt a new kind of overprotective-brother feeling.

As if I should worry about them being together…

I shook off the feeling when I noticed Kate was looking back at me.

I smiled weakly at Kate, who motioned for her cell phone while Apollo began a new tangent about how he was thinking about publishing his collection of short poems about women he'd met all over the world.

Understanding what she meant, I took out my cell phone, and I noticed a text almost immediately.

**And to think women love this…**

**-Kate**

I smirked softly, and I typed back a response quickly.

**If I remember correctly, you seemed to like it before the poetry started.**

**-Noah-**

Kate looked up at me, raising her eyebrows.

She looked down to her cell phone, and Kate looked like she was about to type something back when Apollo finally snapped out of "Awesome Apollo Land" and realized we were all still here.

"Have you ever been to Rio, Dear?" Apollo looked over to Kate, smiling at her, and she moved her cell phone and sat up straighter to respond.

"No, I haven't," Kate nodded, and Apollo smiled.

"You would love it. I actually met this one man, Alex. He had moved from America to open clubs in Rio, and he just retired back to America, with his new wife, Sofia. Alex and I are pretty close, though he wouldn't be if he knew about my night with Sofia right before they got engaged," Apollo was getting off topic again, "Anyway, he just retired around here with Sofia, and he opened a club around here to get out of the house so he doesn't have to handle their son, Angelo, all the time."

Apollo looked to all of us, and he smiled.

"I wanted to go tonight, and I wanted to know if you guys would like to come," Apollo smiled his seductive smile at Kate, "This is your last night before you have to go on with your quest, and I thought you might want some fun."

"Um, Charlie's not old enough," I pointed out quickly.

"Oh, of course. Aiden was going to a movie tonight, and I was expecting that she would want to go with."

"Uh, sure," Charlie pushed her hair behind her ear.

"How about you three?"

"I'm in," Sam put his phone in his pocket, smiling happily.

Apollo looked to Kate hopefully, and she smiled weakly.

"That does sound great, but I was actually planning on taking a walk. Getting some coffee. Have fun though," Kate smiled weakly.

Apollo was disappointed, but he looked to me with a smile.

"How about you, Noah?"

"I don't think so, but thank you."

"Well then, Apollo looked back to Sam, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change for the party."

Apollo stood.

"Same," Sam told us, and they both started off to their rooms.

"Do you guys need a ride?" I offered to Charlie and Aiden as they stood.

"I can drive," Aiden told me.

My eyes widened, and I stared.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen," he shrugged.

I froze, and I watched Charlie and Aiden go upstairs.

When they were gone, Kate laughed at me, and I just kept looking back to the staircase, unable to get over it.

"He's fifteen?"

"Yeah."

"And he can drive."

"I heard."

"And he's driving my little sister."

"She's thirteen, not three, Noah," Kate reminded me.

"But-But, I mean, they are going to a movie."

"I've been here the entire time, Noah."

"It's just that-" I began, but Kate cut me off by standing.

"Come on," Kate putted a hat out of her bag, and, as she adjusted the beanie, I stood up beside her, "Let's go."

"You don't want to change?"

Kate crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows.

"You don't like this?" She looked down at the green dress.

"No, I-I do," I stuttered, blushing, "I just thought you might want to change shoes or something. Because it isn't comfortable…. Or, uh, if it is, then… uh, you can still wear it."

I knew I was the color of a tomato when I looked up to see Kate smiling at me, looking like she was about to laugh.

"You're laughing," I crossed my arms.

"No, I'm not," Kate shook her head.

"Yes, you are."

"Shut up, and start walking," Kate started walking to the door.

"Are you sure you want to wear the heels?"

"Yes, Noah."

"I mean, you always complain about your feet when you wear them. And I am not carrying you, you just need to know that."

"I am wearing the shoes."

"Are you sure? Because we are still here, and we have time to change. I could even change shoes to make you feel better."

"After sitting through that with Apollo, I need coffee. Do not mess with that, okay?" Kate raised her eyebrows, giving me the look of _Don't-Mess-With-Me_ that often scared me and did right now.

"Understood," I raised my hands in surrender.

_**Kate,**_

"Let's stop for a second," I told Noah, leaning my head on his shoulder. My arm was wrapped tight around him, and I had been leaning on him for the last thirty minutes or so.

I wasn't sure whether he thought I was leaning on him because I was tired or romantic or that he had been right about the high heels and I was trying to play it off as romantic.

And I honestly wasn't sure either.

Somehow, when we were walking by the water, I just ended up with my arm around his, and I never really stopped. I just couldn't get myself to, I was too comfortable like this to ever think to move.

We had left the grand home of Apollo only an hour ago, and the moon was shining over us peacefully. The air was quiet in the park we walked by now, though we had also been through the busy and loud part of time through our exploration.

My plan had been to walk around for a small amount of time and grab some coffee. I just wanted to get out of the house, come back to the real world for a little bit and get away from the "God of Awesomeness, Apollo."

But we just never stopped walking…

It was so easy to just walk and talk. Even our silence was easy.

"You just want to stop because your feet hurt."

"It is not just because my feet hurt!"

"But your feet _do_ hurt."

"Shut up and sit, Noah."

"You are mean when your feet hurt."

"Shut up, Noah Jackson."

He smirked but shrugged.

"Let's sit here," he motioned towards a bench, and I reluctantly let go of his arm to sit down.

I sat down, but then he didn't join me.

Instead, he got down on his knees, and I was staring as he took my foot, not sure if I should just stare or if I should kick him with the other foot.

I was about to ask what on earth he was doing, but then he slid off the high heel shoe from my foot.

I started laughing loudly, sounding like I was either insane or drunk.

And that was really how Noah made me. My old high school friend, Elise, used to call it Noah Crack. When we were alone, he made me a little crazy, a little loud sometimes, and definitely laughing. In high school, I never needed to do any drugs or drink a lot. I could just go spend a few hours with Noah and get almost the same effect.

I had forgotten how much I missed being around him. He was intoxicating, and I suddenly feared being taken away from him again.

And it was only day one…

"See, you're happier already," he smirked as he handed me my shoes, and I leaned on his shoulder when he sat down beside me.

"So I wonder what Apollo is doing right now."

Noah smiled.

"Well, after you broke his poor little heart by not going drinking with him," Noah smirked, and I laughed, "he's probably nursing his wounds with drinks and crying on the shoulder of some beautiful model."

"And I wonder what Aiden and Charlie are doing."

"Ugh," he threw his head back, "You went there."

"I mean, I'm not saying it's a date, but she _will_ date sometime. You do need to know that."

"How did Sam let you date?"

"Let me date? You think I didn't see you guys following us. I'm not as stupid as you guys seem to think I am."

"We were hungry," Noah shrugged.

"Yeah, which is why you drove behind us to get there and sat at the table behind us. And then you followed us for ice cream."

"I like ice cream."

"Well, just know that I am not going with you to stalk Charlie on her first date. You are on your own, Mister," I warned him, and Noah looked back to the moon, silence filling the air.

I knew what he was thinking about.

He was worried that he would never get the chance. That he would forever lose that precious little baby we used to think was the most precious thing in the entire world.

I worried about the same thing, but I didn't say anything.

If anything, I worried that I would jinx it, that saying it out loud would make it real. And, if my fear became real, it would really happen. And…

I didn't know what I would do.

Sure, I was in college, and I didn't see her much.

But I was always talking to her somehow. And I was always coming to see her. And just about everything had something to do with her.

And I had no clue what on earth Noah would do without his little sister.

"She'll be okay," I told him, my voice barely above a whisper, "We handled quests."

But this felt different.

This was the _Daughter of the Mind and Sea_. The one that people had been hearing about for decades and everyone had worried about.

"Yeah, we did, didn't we?"

"It's three of us taking care of her. We'll be okay."

Noah's eyes stayed glued to the side.

"You know, for years, I have been told the story of The Mark of Athena. How Annabeth had all of these problems, but, in the end, it was only her that could fix things."

"But she is smart, and so is Charlie. She survived."

"But look where she and my dad ended up."

I looked down."

"She'll never be the same kid," Noah ran his fingers through his hair.

"Because she's not a kid."

He looked to me.

"We were a lot ahead of her when we were thirteen you know. You're acting like she's eight years old, and you can't do that. I mean, you have to let her grow up, it's what she wants. She just wants to stop being the little sister of Noah Jackson, the daughter of Annabeth Jackson and Percy Jackson, and become Charlie. And, to do that, she needs to find herself. And this seems like a pretty good opportunity."

Noah stared.

"Sam let me grow up."

"You're different…" Noah looked away from me.

I wasn't sure if he meant that I wasn't really his sister or that the situation was different or what, but I let it go.

After a long silence, I finally spoke again.

"You know, I sneaked a peak of a home theater back at the house. Maybe we could go back, make some popcorn, watch an old movie."

Noah nodded, smiling and taking the hint to move on.

"As long as you don't wear those shoes," Noah smirked as we both stood up.

"Shut up," I hip-bumped him, and he wrapped his arm around me.

"Do I get to hear my three favorite words?"

"That's not happening."

"No, not those. The other three."

I rolled my eyes.

"Tough luck, Noah."

"You're still not getting it right."

"I simply won't."

"You're getting closer."

"Shut up, okay?"

"No, you're cold again."

"Fine," I stopped, "You were right."

Noah smiled wide, and I leaned back on him.

"You're insane, Noah."

"You, too, Shorty."

* * *

_**So some Kate and Noah time. And Charlie and Aiden time.**_

_**Hey, I forgot to mention that both Kate and Charlie's outfits are available on . The links keep messing up, so I would just suggest googling HAWTgeek12345 and Polyvore.**_

_**Sorry, it took so long. Family stuff has been happening. Crush stuff has been happening. School started back, and everything has been going kind of crazy. And I actually made a new Youtube video, please check it out. It is a Sims video for Mary's Song, and I worked pretty hard on it. If you want to see it, just go to "HAWTgeek12345" on youtube. Anyway, I finally updated, and the quest is really about to start. I will give you a recap on everything later whether you want it or not, but I really don't have time here.**_

_**So see you soon**_

_**;-{D HAWTgeek ;-{D**_


	9. Another Member of the Quest

_**Charlie,**_

I woke up to the smell of French toast, bacon, and cinnamon buns.

By the time I finally blinked my eyes open and accepted waking up, my mouth was drooling at the sweet smell.

I let out a tired groan, and I sat up in bed, afraid to look at the clock because of how high the morning sun was.

Last night, we got in late. The movie was a forgettable comedy, though I ended up laughing through the entire thing at the time. By the time we were going out and picking up French fries nearby, I couldn't really remember the plot but could remember the funny parts.

Afterwards, Aiden drove home in his dad's favorite vintage Jaguar, and we laughed about how he would probably wreck the entire time. Then we ended up back at the house, where Aiden let me play around with his guitar until he started playing and it felt inadequate to hear me again.

It was late when I finally stumbled to my soft bed, and it was impossible to ever want to get out of this thing with how comfortable it was. I regretted not testing out that Jacuzzi now that I didn't have any time left to do that, and I hesitantly got out of the silk sheets.

I brushed through my hair, and I brushed my teeth quickly. I washed my face to get off the smudged make-up I forgot to take off, and I felt like I had just rubbed every layer off my face when I finally decided I was finished. I was went to the closet to find an outfit laid out for me and a bag packed full of clothes packed by one of the servants in the grand house. I changed into the dark wash jeans, and I pulled a grey owl tee shirt over my head quickly as I laced my sneakers.

I was starving, and I couldn't wait to get to the breakfast downstairs.

What came after the breakfast I wasn't so sure about. I was scared, but, somewhere inside of me, I was ready for this to be over. I even found myself planning what I would do when I got back. It relaxed me, and I had fallen asleep to thinking about it.

After a long time, I finally had decided what I would first do. After sleeping off whatever I needed to, I planned on getting in my comfortable jeans, riding into town with Emily-Rose, and going to our favorite pizza place that was in between my house and hers.

Deciding to focus on the present and not get too far ahead of myself, I started pulling my hair into a ponytail.

Next door, I could hear someone stubble out of the door, and I assumed it was Sam by the heavy, hung-over footsteps, who probably was about to grab just a cup of coffee.

That reminded me how hungry I was.

Deciding to get my bag later, I went out to the hallway, and there I saw Kate's head peaking out of the door.

"Charlie, hey. Come here."

I came in hesitantly, and Kate yawned as she closed the door behind me.

My eyes widened.

She was wearing the same silk undershirt she had worn under her dress last night, though it was wrinkled now. Her hair was a mess, and she hadn't taken off her make-up yet. She was wearing a giant pair of sweatpants, and I could tell immediately that she had a late night like me.

I raised my eyebrows at Kate, who didn't seem to understand what I was staring at.

"You had a long night, Kate," I smirked, and she finally seemed to understand what I was saying.

Kate quickly turned as bright red as a tomato.

"We went walking and watched a movie," Kate explained, a combination of wanting and embarrassment.

"You look like it," I smirked, and Kate crossed her arms triumphantly, a smirk on her thick lips.

"What about you and Aiden?"

Now I was blushing, though I wasn't sure why.

It's not like we did anything at all.

We went to a movie, drove home, and played guitar.

It's not like I have anything to blush for.

"We went to go see a movie and played guitar for a while."

"Oh my gods!" Kate smiled, jumping onto her bed happily, "He did the thing when a guy tries to teach a girl something. That is the oldest trick in the book. You know, he's pretty hot. I didn't know you were into guys with tattoos though, and Aiden definitely has a few. How old is he? I don't mean to sound like Noah, but he's not seventeen or anything, right? I will support you two of course, but that wouldn't be the best thing, you know."

Now I was just as red as she had been earlier.

And I was beginning to stutter with embarrassment.

Kate began to laugh at me, and I crossed my arms quickly.

We had been friends my entire life, but it became different when she was a teenager. Suddenly, we were even closer, and she became the person I wanted to ask about boys. And she wanted to tell me all about the guys in her life, though it was usually only my brother. Even when she went to college, we stayed close.

Usually, I loved it.

Right now, I _hated_ it.

"It isn't a _trick_. And I don't know what you mean by _support us_. We're friends. Just friends. And he's fifteen, if you want to know. And he only has two tattoos, it's not like he's covered in them."

"Well, I have zero. So two seems like a lot, especially when you're _fifteen._" Kate smiled as she sat up in the bed to look at me better, "And you know _exactly_ what I mean when I say I'll support you."

"Noah has one. Is that too much for you?" I asked, sitting beside her on the bed.

Kate glared at me.

"I need to get dressed, and I think you need breakfast. You look hungry, Shorty," Kate jumped out of bed, and I smiled.

"See you down there."

Kate nodded to me as she started to the bathroom door, and she disappeared into the grand bathroom to get ready.

_**Noah,**_

Sipping a big cup of black coffee, I watched the five of us at the breakfast table.

Apollo was perfect. No hangover, no drowsiness, no sign of a long night. His plate was piled high was with every delicious breakfast food he could find, and I am pretty sure his coffee was spiked from the way he kept drinking it. He had a big smile, and he was flirting with one of the pretty servants who refilled the coffee.

Unlike Apollo, Sam got what was coming to him from last night. He looked exhausted, and he had a horrible hangover. His plate only had toast and a few things to calm his stomach, and he was wearing his lucky raybands to keep out all light. I hadn't seen him look like this since a his Sunday morning hangover after going out on Saturday after a big win.

Apollo was a little tired, though he drank orange juice instead of coffee. He had waffles and a cinnamon bun on his plate. He was still in his pajamas, showing the two tattoos imprinted on his skin, and I suddenly felt even worse to think that he went out with my baby sister. No matter how many times I was told it wasn't a date, I was still uncomfortable with it.

Charlie was like she was at home, tired but not miserable. She had orange juice, French toast, bacon, and toast. Unlike how she and my dad usually talked about what she would have to do at school, she spoke occasionally to me or Aiden, though quietly for the sake of Sam.

And I was drinking coffee, barely able to eat as I thought about the long drive we would have. I had offered to drive first, mainly because I didn't want Sam at the wheel, and I planned on spending the day switching driving with Kate to get as far as we could towards LA.

The Underworld was our target, and so was Olympia.

I understood why Olympia was after Charlie. My grandfather and father's old enemies had tried to kill me, and Charlie had double enemies because of her parentage. But I knew I was missing part of the story, and I had a feeling we would pay for it.

I was staring at Charlie, shocked to no longer see that little baby that Annabeth had shown me thirteen years ago in the hospital. And I was about to ask about her breakfast when her face lit up and she smiled.

"Kate, you're up."

I looked back to see her coming into the dining room, smiling apologetically.

"I am so sorry I am late. I slept late I'm afraid," Kate shrugged, and she was walking to take a seat beside her older brother, who sat farthest away from us so he didn't have to hear us talking as loud. But Apollo stopped her.

"Oh, you're not late at all. Sit beside me, dear," he tapped on the chair between him and me.

"Sure," Kate pushed her hair behind her ear, sitting in the chair, and Apollo turned in his chair to speak to her.

"How was your walk? Isn't Charleston beautiful? It just makes you want to…" he smiled, trying to find the right words, "fall in love."

The way Apollo smiled like he had already fallen in love with her made Kate blush, but it seemed different this time. I wasn't sure why, but it looked like she had moved on and just took pleasure in the compliments.

"Well, I have. With the city itself. I should have come before," Kate smiled as a servant gave her coffee and orange juice.

Apollo seemed disappointed.

"The food is delicious, especially the Belgium waffles," Apollo smiled, and Kate began to make her plate.

"It looks wonderful," Kate smiled back at him.

"The cook here is absolutely wonderful. He used to work in my home in Tampa, but I don't spend much time there anymore. This city it beautiful that I had to own something here, and now I am here all the time. I moved the cook down here because I hated having to go down to Tampa for the food I want," Apollo began, "You know, I am very lucky to have met such a wonderful cook…"

He continued on about how he had met the immortal cook when he was working as an apprentice under Demeter, and I stopped early in.

Charlie tried her hardest to listen to him, and Aiden was embarrassed by his father, looking down at his breakfast mostly. Sam drank more coffee and took another Aleve. And Kate looked tired, though I couldn't tell if she was tired of the conversation or just tired.

I was beginning to doze off when I forced myself to pay attention.

"I truly worry for you all."

"Don't, we'll be alright," Kate told him, but he kept going.

"I want to give you a parting gift."

"But you already have, Apollo, you don't need to do anymore. You have done above and beyond what we could expect," Kate tried, but Apollo wasn't giving up.

"I've been meaning to discuss with you, but the time never came. I have been thinking about it, and I just know I have made the best decision."

I choked on my coffee.

"Decision? What decision?" I was beginning to feel sick.

"I cannot help you too much, but there is something I think would be best. I know this will work to the advantages of all of us, though it will be taking something away from me."

"What have you done, Dad?" Aiden sat up straighter, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Aiden, you have spent so much time with me, and it has been wonderful. But I know you must be bored of me. I understand that you are a teenage boy, and I know you need space from your parents. You need to get out of the house, have fun, and be a teenager. You've spent so much time being Roman that you have forgotten how to be Greek."

"Wait, so-" Charlie looked between Apollo and Aiden.

"Yes, I have decided that my son, Aiden, shall accompany you."

My jaw dropped, and so did Aiden's.

"That's it. Gods, you take a long time to speak, Apollo, no offense. But couldn't we just get to the point?" Sam complained, rubbing his temples and looked to Aiden, "Can you drive?"

"Yes."

"Great to have you on the team, Kid," Sam stood, "But, if you hurt my car, I will kill you. Now I am going to get some quiet. You people eat and let me know when it is time to leave."

_**Kate,**_

I watched as the three blondes got into the back seat.

Sam reclined into his seat, putting his earplugs in and adjusting his sunglasses to keep away any light and any sound. Charlie was talking to Aiden as she got into the middle seat, and Aiden awkwardly got into the seat beside her, still feeling unwelcome about his father making him come on the journey with us.

It was late in the morning, and, if Apollo kept stalling, we would end up staying for lunch, too.

Noah was beyond ready to leave, which felt strange after all the time he had been dreading it. He was getting impatient with Apollo, which is why I had offered to say goodbye with him. I wanted to make sure he didn't piss off our ally.

Apollo as an enemy could be Hades for us. We had enough people that hated us, and I refused to add another.

Apollo was trying his very hardest to convince me to stay with him. He was talking about how he would show me the real Paris and show me the best clubs in Miami and the most famous movie stars in LA and a month at his private island in Greece and a bunch of other adventures for the two of us.

If I hadn't been in love with Noah and had a commitment to Charlie to stay with her, I might have really thought about it. I mean, it was pretty tempting. Of course, I knew that he would most likely love and leave me like everyone else while I was hopefully not carrying his child, but the way he spoke made it feel real.

His voice was so seductive, so calming. It made you feel like everything he said was true, that you were the most beautiful women in the entire world, and that he would love you forever. It was like a drug, and it could make the smartest girl make the stupidest mistakes.

I was relieved when Noah gave Apollo that glare that told him to shut up and Apollo took it.

"A goodbye is so bittersweet," Apollo smiled, putting one hand on Noah's shoulder and on mine. His smile was weak, and he had changed out of his pajamas to his beach look of an unbuttoned cotton shirt and shorts. His chocolate brown eyes shone in the light, and I admit that he didn't look happy about it.

He would miss us, whether it was flirting with me, being with his little Charlie, or being with his son.

"Thank you so much again, Apollo. You've been wonderful," I spoke before Noah could, and I smiled at Apollo.

"Oh thank you for staying, Kate," Apollo smiled, and he looked to Noah, "It's been great to have you, too, Noah."

"Thank you, Apollo."

Apollo's smile began to weakened until it became a frown, and he let go of both of us, motioning towards the living room.

"Oh no, we need to be going," Noah started.

"There is something I think you need to know. It will not take long."

Noah and I looked to each other, and I nodded that we should.

We followed him into the living room, where we took a seat on the couch, and he handed us each a glass of Scotch.

"I'm driving," Noah tried to turn it down, and Apollo shrugged.

"It's here if you need it," Apollo put the small glass on the coffee table in front of us, and he sat down in a chair in front of us. Instead of his usual perfect posture, he was slouching, already almost finished with his drink and about to pour another.

"What is it, Apollo?" I stared at him, getting scared and impatient at him dragging it on like this.

"You need two things for your journey. Olympia is very strong, and, in the Underworld, she gave birth to a series of Rock Monsters. They went after your little sister, Charlie. They are afraid of one thing, Cyclopes. I don't know why, so don't ask me," he waved that off, "And you need to get a vial of a Cyclops's blood. Drink it, and they will stay away from you for the most part."

I began to drink.

"There's more."

Noah reached for his glass.

"They're all crowding around Birmingham, Alabama. Which is lucky for you because that is where Demeter owns a small cottage in a nearby town."

"You want us to stay with my grandmother?" I asked.

"Oh no, she is in Olympus currently. But you do need to go there."

"Why?" Noah was getting impatient, and he wanted to get to the bottom line fast.

"Persephone is stuck with Hades down there. Everything's dead. Her friends never want to come down there. Hades is very hard to handle. And she is really just wanting something lively. Something beautiful and precious, and Hades isn't into having a baby right now. Says maybe in an eon, but he said that two eons ago. So she's getting pretty impatient, you know?"

Apollo was getting off topic again.

Noah glared.

"Oh, right, sorry. In that little cottage of Demeter's, there is a garden. Bring the ripest, most beautiful red rose, and you can get in to the Underworld."

Noah and I stared at Apollo.

"That's all I know."

"You said that yesterday."

"No, I said we should stop talking business."

Noah opened his mouth to continue, but I stopped him.

"Are you sure there is nothing else? Any advice."

"Start on to LA after Alabama. And listen to Aiden. I know he is young, but this has been his entire life. Prophecies, quests, war. I have been trying to get him out there, but I can't take away what he knows. I sent him with you so that you can use this knowledge," Apollo told us, and Noah nodded.

"Thanks, Apollo. We better get going. They're waiting in the car," I stood with Noah, but Apollo stopped us.

"Good luck, both of you."

"Thank you, Apollo," Noah spoke before me, and he seemed genuine.

I smiled back at Noah, and we started walking out of the door. When the door closed behind us, Noah stopped and took a deep breath.

"Do you need me to drive?" I put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Noah shook his head.

"No, I just needed a second. We can go now."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"No, but I will be. I need to drive. And we need to get to Alabama. It's a win-win."

I wasn't sure I believed him, but I didn't have much of a choice.

Noah and I went down the steps to where the Jeep was parked behind Apollo's vintage Jaguar, and I climbed into the passenger seat as Noah got into the driver's seat.

"There you are!" Sam complained, "What took you so long?"

"Long story short, we're going to Birmingham, Alabama."

_**Okay, so, I am sick. Yeah, a virus that kept me out of my Spanish and Science quiz. Horrible, right? ;-D And I decided I spent too much time making that Sims 3 Mary's Song video, so I decided to finish up this chapter. **_

_**I promised I would give crush stuff whether you want it or not. **_

_**Anyway, if you read **_**You've Got Mail,**_** you know about George. Well, he stopped being the guy I fell for, and I stopped liking him over Winter Break. When I got back, I expected a simple thing where only I knew that things were over and that I would just walk past him in the hall and not speak to him. But when I got back, for the first week of school, we were like bitter exes. He yelled at me at everything I said, and I did everything to avoid him. And then he was fine again. Like the guy I liked before… But I just don't know if I like him or not, though I don't think I do.**_

_**Ugh, I hate being a teenager.**_

_**Okay, so Aiden is on the quest! And, if you like drama and have maybe read the clique, you will like KISS in the Dark, a new story I just posted!**_


	10. Welcome to Birmingham

_**Charlie,**_

The drive never seemed to end.

It was seven hours to Birmingham, and Noah was very strict on our time limit. So our stops were never long enough, and I was beginning to regret being the good person and taking the middle seat since Aiden didn't know how to handle Sam on one of his legendary hangovers.

Though turning twenty-one soon, his hangovers had achieved renown. When you are the star local soccer player with charming ways and good looks, many people let you slide when it comes to the drinking. And, when he does overdo it, you all pay for it the next morning. It was better to leave him alone. Don't touch him, talk to him, look at him for too long, or even breathe on him. Just let it go.

For the first three hours, Noah drove, and we didn't turn on the radio for the sake of Sam. I ended up crocheting, and Aiden was listening to music on his cell phone as he stared out the window.

Athena herself taught me how to crochet when I was seven, and I had quickly taken to it. But I rarely actually did it unless I was bored like I was then.

For the next three hours, Kate drove, and Sam was better, though she would have probably turned on the radio any way. I continued to work on a yellow bracelet, and Aiden listened to the music through the radio instead of his cell phone.

And the last two hours were actually entertaining, I will give Sam that.

He turned on the music loud, and Kate ended up getting booted to the backseat with me. And, though she and Noah both ended up spending most of the time on their cell phones, it still felt better. Aiden and I broke our silence and started talking again, though it was more of small talk about New Rome, but it felt better to at least be talking.

When we got into Birmingham, we pulled to a McDonalds and began to discuss the plan in the car.

"I've been thinking about it, and it would better for a grandchild of Demeter to go and steal her rose. And, since you've been hungover all day, its you Sam."

Sam groaned and crossed his arms like a child pouting.

"Kate and I are going to find the Cyclopes," Noah announced.

I gasped.

"What?" I looked to the two of them.

While I had known I would probably get stuck going on the boring mission because it was the safest, I had also prayed that my brother would be smarter. I knew he would always still see me as a little kid holding Me-Mo, but I knew he could also see parts of the grown-up Charlie.

And I thought he would try to show it by proving he had enough trust in me to go handle a Cyclops.

This was _my _quest after all.

"We don't want to lure all of them to us, and you have powerful blood, Charlie," Kate tried, her eyes apologetic. I was shocked that she had known the plans. Kate was usually the one going against Noah on things like this.

"Besides, Kate and I have handled Cyclopes before. You and Aiden are going with Sam," Noah told me, no room for me to fight him on the issue.

_How am I ever supposed to learn if you never let me? _I wanted to scream, but I kept it in, and I began to pout like Sam.

But now I was the only one as Sam was straightening his spine and getting ready to drive again.

_Great, now I look like even more of a child…_

"So, now that we've decided that, we better drop you off. Do you guys know where you're going?" Sam asked as he began to pull the Jeep into reverse and began to drive out of the McDonalds parking lot and onto the road.

"I've been doing research. The Cyclopes are attracted to something right around here," Kate handed Sam her cell phone with GPS directions.

"Alright then," Sam followed the directions, and we sat in silence as he drove through the city.

Noah stared straight ahead, and Kate began to check through her backpack to make sure she had everything. Aiden kept looking at me, not sure what he could possibly say to calm me down, and Sam drove in silence.

There wasn't anything he could say.

I was angry that I was still a little kid to Noah.

I was thirteen, a year older than Noah had been when he went on his first quest with Sam. And Noah got to do a whole lot more than I did. He got to prove his worth and become one of the most respected people at Camp Half-Blood. For crying out loud, he killed the first monster!

I could never live up to what he considered to be able to take care of yourself if he never gave me a chance.

"So, what time do you want us to pick you up?" Sam broke the silence, and Noah shrugged.

"We were going to stay here and have you pick us up in the morning. It seems easier that way."

Sam watched Noah for a minute as if uncomfortable about the idea of Kate and Noah staying together overnight while he was in another city, but this was weird.

Sam had always been oblivious to Noah's feelings towards his younger sister. In his eyes, they were family. They were sandbox buddies. They were cousins. And, even without all that, Kate was Noah's best friend's little sister.

To think of anything between them was alien to Sam, or was it?

"Whatever," Sam finally shrugged, and he took another turn on the directions to a modern hotel surrounded by condos and restaurants.

Kate craned to get her cell phone from the front seat, and Noah shouldered his backpack as he got out of the car.

"Bye, Shorty," Kate hugged me goodbye, and she kissed my cheek before getting out of the car.

Now I had to look at Noah.

"Love you, Charlie."

I knew he did.

Sometimes too much, but he was my big brother…

"Love you, too, Noah."

He smiled goodbye and nodded for Sam to continue on.

And that we did…

We drove straight away from the urban Birmingham to a surrounding small town.

And I don't think I had ever felt so sick as leaving my big brother behind…

_**Noah,**_

As I watched the Jeep drive off into the distance, I thought I would feel relief that my sister was out of this danger and riding off to some sort of safety. I thought it would be a comfort to keep me from overreacting, but it did the opposite.

I felt sick as I walked, and I couldn't stop thinking about how mad I had made her when I chose her to go get the rose. She was so…disappointed, like she had expected more from me.

I knew I was holding her back, but I couldn't help it. If I let her completely free, I could burying her soon after!

"You okay, Noah?" Kate asked, breaking me out of my fog.

Kate.

I wasn't sure how Kate did it.

An eight hour drive. Shocking news before. And having to sit two hours squished up against to teenagers, and she still looked perfect!

_No wonder Apollo had been into her…_

It felt better to have put a few states in between Kate and the amazing god, though I wasn't sure if she was alright with that. Yes, his talk of himself was hard to handle, but a person could get used to the praises Apollo put on her all the time. Just him talking to her was a compliment.

He could have anyone, and he was choosing her…

"Yeah, just thinking about Charlie."

"She'll be fine. Worry about your own butt for a minute," Kate smirked, and I let out a small laugh as we continued to walk down the sidewalk to a condo building at the end of the street.

After some research we found that the reason the Cyclopes were gathering came from only one Cyclops.

Claas the Magnificent, once a big Cyclopes to Gaea. He had filed for "retirement" and worked as kind of monster for hire for many different causes, avoiding death by running away and claiming to be the sole survivor from great strength whenever his causes didn't work out well.

Somehow along the way, he earned a renown of being the strongest Cyclops, though he was really just a fast runner.

He was staying in Birmingham, and many a Cyclops had flocked to see him.

We wanted to get one of his adoring fans, but they would all be together.

If we get Claas, we could get the blood and get out before anyone found out.

His rent with the condos here was about to expire and rumors said he should be leaving early tomorrow morning for Mexico, perfect timing.

"Do you have the dress?" I looked to Kate, and she grimaced.

"Couldn't we just break the door down instead?"

"And draw attention."

Kate moaned, but she pulled out a handful of fabric from her bag, which is about as much as there was to the dress.

I smirked.

"You're liking this too much."

"What's wrong with seeing a pretty girl in a pretty dress?" I tried not to laugh.

"A pretty dress. More like a piece of fabric that happened to cover just slightly enough!" Kate hid her face, and I hooked my arm around her to go into a shop.

"Change-up, Katey-Cat."

Kate moaned, and she hurried off to the restroom to change. I held the black trench coat on my arm as Kate had begged for it, and she hurried out so fast to slide into it that I didn't even have time to look at it.

Claas was already known like a human, and he had human taste as well, _especially_ for women.

I felt horrible about making her be the bait, but she had opted, and it was easier like this.

We wanted to look human, kill someone people thought was a human, and make things as easy as possible.

Despite my skill, I was tired of the usual monster game.

It wasn't being an aging body or being weak. It was a state of mind. Though only nineteen, I was more grown up than most my age, and my days of running around with my sword held high was getting me tired.

This was a refreshing change.

"I can't see the dress?"

"Shut up, Noah."

I raised my hands in surrender and followed Kate to the condos.

Kate stopped before we got to the front door. She did some things to her hair, pinched her cheeks, and applied red lipstick. Kate put on a pair of wedge heels and opened the trench coat a small amount to see the little red number Apollo had picked out for when he thought we were going clubbing with him.

My jaw dropped at just the glance, and she glared at me.

"Come on," she hurried into the building, and I followed after her.

Kate made a beeline to the front desk.

There were many condos which had their own front doors and were able to get out from the outside, which would have been easier. But Claas went for the VIP treatment of course, which required a lot of cameras.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I am looking for a young man, Claas Callis, in 904. Can you please patch me and my friend up? We're terribly late."

"I am sorry, he has to approve, and you need to sign in," the man told us, and I mentally moaned.

"Oh, but," Kate's face fell, but then her face lit up with an idea.

She leaned over the desk, angling more of a look at the dress and more of a look down it, and she smiled wider.

"I don't think you understand. I am _terribly_ late for a _meeting_ with Mr. Callis."

She winked.

I almost laughed.

"Oh, of-of course," the man couldn't stop staring.

"Here's a key," he handed Kate a little car, and she smiled as she put it in her pocket.

"Thank you."

We walked to the elevator in silence, and I smirked when the door closed safely behind us.

"Told you the dress would help."

"I would have found a way," Kate rolled her eyes defensively as she grabbed her dagger and changed her high heels for a pair of shorts and tennis shoes. I looked to the ceiling to be nice, but she hid everything in her trench coat, a trick she learned years ago.

"It didn't make a difference."

"I think it did."

"I really don't think so."

"Honestly? Because what we just saw there looked pretty-"

"Noah Jackson," Kate warned.

_**Kate,**_

As I stood there at the front door, I felt the familiar buzz of waiting to pounce.

I was fifteen when I first got my real planned attack where I wasn't about to lose the people I loved. It was exhilarating and terrifying, and it felt like a lifetime as I waited for it. When I did pounce though, time just flashed by me.

And now I had the same high again.

But this time, it had my body shaking as I stood completely stiff, my hand trained on a dagger on my belt. As I waited, my Athenian heritage kicked in, and my mind began to work better and better.

"Are you ready?" Noah's eyes looked at me, and I nodded.

I ran over every preparation in my head, and I prepared myself.

Noah moved out of sight, and I rang the doorbell.

"Who is it?" a heavy, clumsy Greek accent came on the line.

"Natalee. Natalee Ware."

"I don't know a Natalee. Come back other time."

"Wait, I don't think you understand," I tried, and I moaned, knowing I would have to give Noah some credit.

I pulled the trench coat off my shoulders to reveal part of the dress.

A long silence rang loud and clear that he wanted to see more.

I pulled down my dress to the hips.

The dress was tight red lace that fit me a little like another skin. The bodice made it where I could barely breathe, and it pushed all of my body weight from my hips up to my chest. The bottom was just long enough for me to slide on a pair of boy shorts and be able to hide it.

That was it.

I pulled on my jacket again, and I grabbed my dagger. Noah moved closer, and we both nodded as we waited.

When the door opened, I was a little shocked.

There was a tall, _insanely_ tall man. He was dressed in an expensive suit that was specially tailored to his height. He had expensive shoes that were perfectly shined. His hair was dyed jet black and oiled to his head. Other than the one big brown eye in the center of his head, I would have thought that he was just a freakishly tall business man who liked to dress like he was in the mob.

His big eye got wide and confused.

And then I delivered a rib-breaking kick to his chest with my lucky tennis shoes, and what would have made any man crumble made him just staggered back.

I rushed in, Noah at my side, and he delivered the first blow with the blade. Claas dodged it, his anger roaring by now. He was grabbing a table, and, while Noah had him for a minute, I threw my big trench coat to the ground and pulled up my dress where I could move.

Claas threw a lamp at Noah's head.

Noah dodged skillfully.

Claas tripped him with one touch of his expensive leather shoes, and the force made Noah land with a hard thud on the beautiful hardwood floors that had rarely seen use before we came in here.

Claas, feeling the win inside of him, held up a coffee table, about to smash it on top of Noah, and I rushed to Claas, meeting his coffee table with a sword. It went straight through the wood, and the big blow only left a small little cut on the top of his nose, which just angered her more than anything.

Luckily, his suit made it harder for him to move, otherwise he would have grabbed me and snapped me like a twig. But he did take a swipe at my legs, though I was able to move back in time. But I ended up falling to the ground in my desperate efforts to avoid him. Claas got a disgusting grin as he reached out for me, and Noah stopped him with a sword to the elbow.

He screamed, and I suddenly realized he hadn't been in battle in a long time. Neither had I, but I wasn't a guy with one eye, a restricting suit, and two demigods coming after me in my home.

Even if he had kept up rigorous exercise, it was a hard bill to fit, even if the opponents were tired from a long journey and long night. I used my sword to cut his legs, though I didn't have time to cut them completely off before he landed with a loud thud on the floors.

Noah looked to me, silently asking if I wanted to do it or if he should.

I nodded, moving back, and Noah held the sword to his throat while I scrambled for the vials in my trench coat.

As I grabbed them and moved back, Noah took it as his sign.

He stabbed his side, and golden blood rushed out.

I quickly filled each vial, ignoring his horrible screams of agony, and, as I finished, I looked up to Noah.

He moved his sword, which had been waiting by his head as I filled the vials, to the monster's throat.

I had forgotten what it was like.

To see the last moments of something's life.

No matter if they had tried to kill you or not, to see those eyes go from alive to glassy is just painful.

I was frozen to watch as Claas bled out, and I kept staring even after the body disappeared.

Noah looked down at me, covered in golden blood, his own blood, sweat, and new holes in his hoodie. He was tired, looked pretty hungry, and was also thinking about how close we had come to our bodies being here instead of Claas's.

Even when he looked like that, there was no other person I would ever rather see.

I didn't dare want to know what I looked like.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded, getting off the ground as I put the vials in the pocket of the trench coat.

Noah stood guard for a moment or two as I changed out of the red dress and into comfortable clothes. I threw him a new hoodie, and I was starving as Noah used the mist to manipulate the cameras and get us ready to go.

"So, where to now?"

"I'm thinking getting a hotel and room service French fries or something."

"Pizza sounds great, thank you for suggesting it," I smiled, and Noah rolled his eyes.

"But it will be delivery."

"That's fine with me, as long as I get the pizza."

* * *

_**So some action. I wasn't really good at that though, sorry. But Noah and Kate are alone together, and Charlie and Aiden are off on an adventure.**_

_**Today was a long day. Just a really, **_**really **_**long day.**__**If I thought our notorious class pervert and his teasing friend were bad on their own, that was because I had never seen them with their girlfriends. The pervert was overly flirty and annoying, and the other was annoying and in a sour mood the entire day, which is just perfect since we are partners in a few classes.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter!**_


	11. Flap Your Wings and Fly

_**Charlie,**_

"Are you sure you know where you are going?" I asked Sam, leaning in to have my head in between the two boys in the front seat.

An hour ago, Aiden traded up to sit in the front seat, and I was fine with it so I could stretch out in the backseat. Now that I was rested though, I kept peaking my head up there.

"Yes, Charlotte. It's my grandmother's place. I _know_ how to get there," Sam rolled his eyes as he seemed to make another blind turn down a road in the middle of nowhere.

Being in Alabama after growing up in Manhattan was alien to me. It wasn't as ridiculous and country as it was shown in TV and talked about. But it was still completely different from my busy home up north.

"So? I couldn't get us all to my _grandfather's place_ right now," I leaned back in my seat, and Aiden tried to hide his smirk by looking at his cell phone.

Aiden was trying to get on the good side of Sam for reasons I understood, but his silence annoyed me.

We both looked to Aiden, waiting for him to stick up for one us, and he just shrugged.

"Hey, my grandfather lives in New Rome," Aiden raised his hands in surrender, and I rolled my eyes.

Sam looked back to the road, and I watched the night set in and the darkness take over.

The darkness and I had never been my favorite time.

As a kid listening to the story of my parents loving each other enough to fall into eternal darkness for each other, I found the idea of darkness romantic. I always wanted to find someone who would love me enough to do brave darkness for me.

But, when I had my first incident with the woman in stone when I was seven, darkness became my number one hatred. It wasn't until I was eleven that I stopped sleeping with a night light, though I kept the hallway light on so it would peak underneath my door.

It made me slightly uneasy now, and I listened to the radio play.

And then the car suddenly stopped.

Sam twisted around in his seat and smiled wide.

"Told. Ya."

But I was too busy staring at the "cottage" that Apollo had spoken off.

This was not a _cottage_. Not a castle but so not a cottage.

It sat on a large part of land, surrounded by trees and natural life. There was a cobblestone walkway surrounded by daisies and it led to a big porch with rocking chairs and swings. The grass was perfectly kept to the large English-style home.

"Come on, let's go get us a rose."

Sam quickly got out of the jeep and started to walk around the house, and I had to struggle to keep up.

My nostrils were attacked with all different smells.

Jasmine. Roses. Honeysuckle. The smell of freshly baked pie.

Together, it should have made me sick, but it was perfect and hypnotizing.

We hurried around the house and found even more beauty.

The home was nestled by a large hill, showing rolling hills and perfect wild life. And, on the very edge, there was the perfect garden. It was full of every beautiful flower, cherry trees, oak trees, and statues of Greek heroes.

"Beautiful," I smiled, stopping to admire it.

And then Sam's butt climbing the fence suddenly ruined the view.

I cringed.

Sam landed perfectly, and he looked around the garden as he brushed off his jeans.

Then his grey eyes moved to me and Aiden.

"Coming?"

Aiden climbed over next, and I began my climb, though I got a snag in my new shirt from Apollo in the process.

"Let's think of a plan," Aiden began, and he and Sam began to talk it over.

But then my eye caught sight of statue.

Mesmerized, I began to walk toward it, ignoring the beautiful replicas of Greek heroes, to see what I had seen from afar.

It was a memorial to my parents, to our family. My parents smiled together, my father holding Noah's hand and my mother holding me as an infant. Everyone was smiling, and the statue was surrounded by blue roses.

I smiled, and I was about to start back to where I had just up and left Aiden and Sam. But then I looked around to the other statues.

They were all memorials…

And she would keep her prized flowers next to her favorite person…

I gasped, and I was about to set off for Aiden and Sam to tell them I knew where to look. But they appeared next to me soon after.

Sam didn't look too, his arms crossed against his chest. Usually, when I did bad, he went along with someone reprimanding me, but he would also high-five me afterwards. I had a feeling I wouldn't get a high-five this time…

And Aiden. Aiden looked pissed, yes. But in a different way…. Not, in a _"You could have gotten yourself killed_!" way but a _"Never do that to me again!"_ way.

"There you are, Charlie," Sam glared at me, and Aiden's anger turned into wonder when he saw the look on my face.

"What is it?"

I didn't say anything, I just kept looking for the right statue. Sam and Aiden chased after me, though they had a few problems keeping up with me.

The combination of flexibility from being a thirteen year old who was able to duck away from everything in New York, my mother's fast brain, and my father's impulsiveness made me pretty good at getting away. I pushed past trees, jumped over flowers and bushes, and ducked under statues.

No matter how many times Noah and my mother reprimanded me, I was kind of impulsive with things like this. I was like my mother on other aspects, I suppose. But my father had passed this down to me, which my mother hated.

She always said that it was a miracle that my father survived his teens, and he always pointed out that he did anyway.

I pulled to a stop when I reached the statue I wanted.

Aiden and Sam almost ran into me when I suddenly stopped, and they stared up at the biggest, grandest statue in the entire garden.

Situated in the dead center, there was a six foot tall statue of a beautiful woman. She was standing proud, a tear drop falling from her eye as she held a single rose. Her eyes were pained and sad, and it pained me to see.

Persephone.

"There it is," Aiden got down on his knees to look at the most beautiful red rose bush I had ever seen, and, in the very center, was the best of them all.

I got down beside Aiden to cut the rose.

"Uh, guys."

"Shh."

"But-"

We didn't listen to Sam as I took out my lucky dagger.

"Guys!"

This time, we looked back, and I gasped. Surrounding us in a big O was a collection of statues, baring their teeth at us for trying to take their most prized rose.

Aiden stood slowly, and he took out his sword, nodding towards me to cut on his mark. He angled himself to handle half and Sam the other half.

"Now!"

I cut the rose from the bush, and all Hades broke lose.

Bits of stone and flowers flew, and I screamed as something pulled me up by my hair.

Persphone held me at her height, and I could see Sam and Aiden fighting off the statues, though more just kept coming in their place.

I screamed, and Persphone took her other hand to wrap around my neck, and fumbled for an arrow. But she laughed me off.

"You don't have a bow," her voice was horrible and scratchy, feeling like it came from the deepest part of the earth, "What are you going to do, little girl?"

I gasped for breath.

"Don't worry. You will live. She needs you alive. And I will be her hero, get out of this stupid garden."

Persephone smiled, and I spotted the perfect place.

If my mother had taught me anything about building things, there is always a weakness in a structure. And I just found hers…

I took the arrow, and I nestled it where her head met her neck.

The statue crumbled, and I fell in a loud thud on top of the roses.

I moaned, and, when I blinked my eyes open, Aiden was running to me with Sam doing the same.

"They are too much," Sam was sweating and bleeding, and Aiden looked around frantically.

And that when I noticed the tattoo of angel wings on his neck was glowing white.

"Aiden, your neck is glowing."

"Hold on," Aiden grabbed my wrist and Sam's, too.

And then I saw pretty much the most amazing thing I had seen since my father first taught me how to control water.

I watched as the tattoo on his neck began to become completely white. Then it started coming off his neck, turning into white eagle feathers as they went to the center of his back, growing big and strong. And then they began to fly.

My jaw dropped as he began to fly up away from the statues, flying like an eagle as his wings beat in the wind.

Aiden had always looked angelic, though I finally knew why.

With the night moon falling on his golden hair and perfect features, he could have looked divine already. But then the moonlight fell on his wings as well, and it was like staring at a god.

Aiden gently set us down near the car, and the statues chased after us.

Sam snapped back into action, jumping in his car and revving up the engine.

But I was too shocked.

"You can fly!" I stared.

"Uh, yeah," he looked down to the ground, avoiding my eyes as he pulled me into the car.

_**Aiden,**_

Charlie kept staring at me across the table.

Sam drove and drove until we were a good two hours away from the statues, muttering about how pissed his grandmother would be when she found out. But I wasn't paying attention. Charlie's glares kept my mind working mostly.

"Fine, I'm sorry, okay? I just didn't think to mention."

"How do you forget to mention you have _wings_?!" she whisper-yelled, though no one in Waffle House was actually paying attention.

"It's not like you _asked_."

"Because I immediately think to ask if someone has wings when I meet them!"

I had to admit that I had tried to stay clear of the topic.

The wings weren't mine as in I hadn't been born with them. They were a gift for my valuable service in New Rome given to only the finest of the finest as Praetor Helena had put it.

And that was just it.

My wings were Roman, and, with Charlie, I didn't feel Roman…

In Rome, I had a select life I had to follow.

I had gone through pain, sacrifice, and had dedicated myself to service to get away from it all. I was basically guaranteed a Praetorship when I got older, and it was clear that I would most likely end up with Adriane, a girl on her way to being Praetor as well.

This had never bothered me.

I understood my path, and I accepted it, no matter how many times my father tried to get me away from it.

And I was worried he may of succeeded…

Charlie and I were completely different.

I was rigid and planned. I kept my secrets and refused to let them go. I had a past to work away from. And my future was predestined for me.

She was impulsive and working by the moment. She was an open book and thought that secrets got you killed. And she was working for a past, for a future, trying to find who she was.

In theory, we had nothing in common. We were people who never clicked, just walked past each other, but somehow we seemed to have everything in common and nothing in common at the same time.

I hadn't seen any problems from this until now, our first butt of heads that would probably happen more than I would like to expect.

"I don't know. I didn't think about it. I haven't used my wings in a while."

"You're telling me you forgot they were there?" Charlie crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows.

I suddenly wished Sam wasn't flirting with a waitress at the counter and that he was still here freaking out and saying I was awesome because I could fly.

"Fine, I should have told you, I admit it," I raised my hands in surrender, running out of excuses and energy.

"Thank you," Charlie leaned back in the booth, "Any other super powers I should know about?"

"Nope. How about you?"

"What?"

"You're the _Daughter of the Mind and Sea_. You've got to have something."

Charlie looked around for a moment, but then she raised her hand in front of her glass of orange juice.

As she moved her hand to write out something in the air, the orange juice rose out of the glass and spelled it.

_This count?_

"Yeah, that counts," I watched, mesmerized.

She motioned for the orange juice to form a blob over her head, threatening to fall on top of her.

She made a quick gesture with her hand, and it splattered on top of her.

But, instead of being covered in sticky orange juice, she was the same.

Completely dry…

"And you think its bad that I didn't mention I could fly."

"But I'm a descendant of Poseidon. I am supposed to be able to do this. You have no freaking reason to have wings!"

And then it clicked.

"Why do you?"

I mentally grimaced.

"It's a gift from the Romans, for superior service."

"They gave you wings for being a good soldier?"

"Well, I wasn't really a soldier."

Charlie raised her eyebrows.

I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt to show her my Roman tattoo.

"You've seen your dad's tattoo, and you know the sign for Praetor. But have you ever really seen Jason's?"

Charlie shook her head.

"Well, we have the same markings," I motioned towards my tattoo, "Except for the one for Praetor. Everyone says I'm on my way there. And I guess I am. I'm not really the typical soldier."

"So that's what Apollo meant."

"Yeah."

I nodded.

But Charlie's mind was still working.

"How old were you?"

"What?"

"Jason started really young. That's how he worked himself up so young. And Reyna was just awesome. Which one are you?"

"Jason."

Charlie continued to watch me, waiting me for me to continue.

"I was six."

Charlie's eyes softened.

"When I was six, I was playing with Me-Mo," she smiled weakly.

I never really got a childhood. I never had a Me-Mo. Or played around playing pretend. I was always Roman…

I opened my mouth to say I would have rather been playing with a Me-Mo, too, but Sam suddenly appeared at our side, sliding into my booth.

"What are we talking about?"

"Nothing much," Charlie shrugged.

_Anymore,_ I wanted to add.

"So, we better call Noah. He's probably worried sick."

Charlie nodded.

_**Kate,**_

I let the heat of the shower wash over me, washing all of the day. I was covered in golden blood, my own blood, sweat, and the lines left on my skin from the too-tight red dress. I rubbed at my skin with body scrub until I felt like I wouldn't have any layer left.

Noah and I had ended up wanting to get a while away from the place where we killed Claas, so we walked around until I demanded that I was tired and that I was staying at the nearest hotel with or without him.

In no time, we were getting a room and basically rejoicing, even though the receptionist kept looking at us when she found out we were young, needing a room now, and only needed it for the night.

I put my stuff up, and I quickly called first shower as he began to order a feast of pizza.

When I was getting undressed for my shower, I happily threw away the red dress, and I kicked my heels to the edge, letting my feet rejoice on the cool tile. While I waited for the shower to warm up, I washed off my make-up, and I finally felt like Kate again.

After being in hot summer weather, wearing heels, a ripped up dress I hate, and killing a monster, it felt heavenly to be in the shower, and I never ever wanted to get out. But I knew I had to…

I finally turned the water off, reaching for a plush towel, and I wrapped it tightly around me. I ran a brush through my hair, and I picked up my heels, leaving my dress in the trash can.

I padded into the room, throwing my shoes on the bed I had claimed when we got here, and I was heading to grab a pair of pajamas from my bag when I suddenly ran into Noah.

"Oh my gods, I am so sorry," we both said at the same time, and then our eyes met.

My heart stopped beating, and I was paralyzed.

"I was just, uh, going to get ice," his eyes never left mine.

"Right…" my eyes stayed glued to his as well.

Was I imagining it or were we moving closer?

My heart was beating loud in my chest.

A million thoughts were running through my head, so many I could barely keep them straight.

But, at the same time, I felt blank.

Like I couldn't breathe. Like I couldn't move. Like logic no longer existed.

And we were slowly moving closer.

And I desperately wanted to kiss him.

If I wasn't imagining it, it looked like he wanted to kiss me, too…

No matter how much I knew it was insane and wouldn't happen and that everything said no to this. But the world's rules didn't exist anymore…

Noah's face was only a few inches away from mine, and I officially stopped breathing.

Suddenly, I had a surge of courage.

It filled my body with energy, with hope, and with the naive thought that everything would work out. That I could get exactly what I wanted…

And what I wanted most of all was Noah Jackson…

I honestly always had, even when we were just friends. I wanted him with me, I never wanted to be away from him. Now it had just gotten stronger, making me want more and more of him until I wanted the cloest thing we could ever have...

I took a deep breath, and I was about to break the distance and kiss him. And he looked like he just might do the same.

And then I heard the worst thing I ever wanted to hear…

Noah's cell phone started ringing with the sound of the ocean, the ringtone for Charlie.

And the moment ended like that.

My courage subsided. Our space seemed far apart, not close. And logic existed again.

"I better get the phone," Noah nodded, taking a step back.

"Yeah, I'll get my clothes and get dressed. The shower's all yours when you're done."

We awkwardly parted, and I hurriedly grabbed my clothes as I went to the bathroom and I collapsed to the tile floor.

What the Hades just happened?

"No, what _didn't_ just happen?" I moaned.

I took my time to get dressed, not wanting to go back to Noah after that.

But I couldn't stay forever.

Finally, while towel-drying my hair, I came out of the bathroom, and Noah was on the bed.

"Turns out I didn't exactly give them the safe mission," Noah moaned, putting a pillow over his face.

I usually would have sat on the edge of his bed, but I sat on my bed this time. I didn't want to be too close...

"What happened?"

"Long story short, statues tried to kill them and Aiden can fly.

"Aiden can _fly_?"

"Aiden can fly."

"Fly?"

"Eagle Wings"

"Seriously?"

"Roman thing."

* * *

_**I just had to part with my baby, my laptop… She is currently on her way to Kentucky to go to the service center, and I miss her. I have to use my mom's netbook, and I can't stand it. This week has just sucked. On Thursday, I stayed up late rewriting my narrative poem for English because I found out something I forgot about, which didn't matter since I was sick the next day. I felt better today and helped babysit today, and I went to Best Buy to see if they could fix my keyboard, which is when they then told me I had to send it off and say goodbye for about two weeks. Then I started feeling sick again.**_

_**It was a long day…**_

_**And I have missed writing so much that I wrote this in basically the last few hours, though my internet connection screwed up. So I couldn't post it until now even though I finished exactly at midnight.**_

_**What did you think? Too rushed?**_

_**Oh, and, yes, Aiden can fly. **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Charlie,**_

"Stop for McDonalds!" Sam tried, still holding his cup of coffee from our _last _stop at McDonalds in our ride.

He poked his head into the front seat, and I was happy it was no longer me.

Last night, we worked out the plan to pick up Sam and Kate rom Birmingham, and it involved an early morning. Though Aiden was actually only allowed to drive in California, we ignored that rule and had him drive because Sam was too tired.

Ever since, Sam had asked to stop for coffee every time he saw a place where we could.

"We just did!" I moaned.

"But I need coffee."

"But you _have_ coffee," Aiden told him.

"But I need more!"

Aiden rolled his eyes and drove past the McDonalds.

"Come on! You guys woke me up at five!"

"You said we would meet them early, not us."

"But-But…"

"We're not stopping again," Aiden put his foot down, taking another turn.

After spending so long driving through back roads or small towns, the crowded roads of Birmingham felt weird, and I missed being able to drive basically as fast as we wanted and not have to deal with other drivers who might have a problem with it.

"If Charlie asked you to stop, you'd stop for her," Sam muttered.

"You're acting like you're _five_, Sam," I smirked, and Sam crossed his arms.

"You're five!"

I started laughing.

We were a pretty close family, I suppose. Uncle Malcolm, Aunt Dana, Kate, and Sam had been there for all of the important moments in my life, and I was there for them, too. With Kate and Noah, you couldn't really tell they were cousins as much as close friends who might just be in love with each other.

But you could tell a mile away Sam and I were cousins.

Somehow, I made Sam immature and he gave me this crazy laugh.

"If you keep this both up, you're _both_ five," Aiden smirked at me, and I hit his shoulder.

Aiden smiled as he faced the road again, and I turned back to Sam, who was pouting as he looked at his cell phone.

"So, which lucky girl are you texting? The model, Amy? The wanna-be actress Emily. Or someone new?" I smiled at my much older cousin.

Sam crossed his arms, though he still had a small smile.

"Why is it that you and Kate always hate the women I see?"

"We don't hate them. We might like them if they stayed past a month before you left them. We don't actually know them, _you_ don't even know them. What if you just let the perfect girl for you go because you didn't give it enough time?" I asked, giving him the same speech he had gotten from either me or Kate a million times.

"I dated Ginger for six months, I'll have you know," Sam crossed his arms indignantly.

"When you were seventeen!" I shifted to wear I could keep looking at him.

"Hey, that is a big commitment for a guy that age."

"Which you haven't made _since._"

"I'm young, I'm not ready for a mortgage, kids, a wife, school fundraisers."

"Right, because as soon as you start dating, you end up working for school fundraisers and buying a house."

"You are so much like your mother," Sam got closer to me, "Such a smarta-"

I was lunging to hurt Sam when the car suddenly pulled to an abrupt stop that made me fall back and Sam go forward for a moment.

"Sorry, didn't see the red-light," Aiden smiled sheepishly.

Aiden was one of the best drivers I had ever seen, though that wasn't exactly the best considering how horrible my family was known for being when it came to driving. We could get away from anyone, which was great, but we couldn't turn that off when we were just driving down the street.

Aiden followed traffic laws, kept everything peaceful, and he didn't make mistakes like that.

And it seemed like this was his way of telling us to shut up.

I looked back to Aiden, rolling my eyes, and I moved back to where I was sitting in my own seat.

We drove in silence through Birmingham for a while.

It was a pretty city, though I didn't pay much attention to it. I just kept staring at the horizon, wondering how much longer we had until we reached LA. There had been so many stops. How many more would there be?

Deep inside, I prayed that there would be a lot. That we might spend our entire summer with stops before we got down to it.

I was so busy in thought that I barely noticed when the car pulled to a halt until Sam startled me with breaking our silence.

"Ha, we're early. I'll go find them," Sam smiled proudly, and he jumped out of the backseat, going off to the hotel we had parked by.

I rolled my eyes, pushing my hair behind my ear.

"So, does Sam know?"

"Know what?"

"That is little sister is in love with his best friend, and that his best friend is desperately in love with his little sister."

"Oh my gods," I laughed, "You know! You just met them, but you know! And they don't freaking know!"

"By the way, who is PixarRules4?"

"What?"

"On your brother's cell phone. He was talking to someone for like an hour, I couldn't help but notice it over his shoulder yesterday."

"He tells me everything, but nothing about Pixar…" I thought about it.

"Just don't tell him, I don't want to be the stalker."

But it was a little bit too late.

I was like a lot like my mom, and one thing I had gotten from her was her curiosity and her focus on a certain mission, _especially_ with my brother. And my certain mission was now finding out who PixarRules4 was and why he was talking to whoever they were.

As if Noah could sense his little sister was on a mission to dig into his business, he got into my sight.

Noah and Kate were smiling at us like they had been gone for a week, and Sam was teasing Kate as if he had been parted from his baby sister for months instead of the few hours we had been separated.

Noah hurried over to my side of the car, opening the door, and he hugged me tightly.

"Hey, Shorty," he kissed the side of my head.

"You're in a good mood. Anything happen?"

Noah blushed.

"No, Charlie. Now shut up," he nudged me.

"I didn't say anything. _You_ made that jump."

Noah smiled, kissing the top of my head.

_**Noah,**_

I didn't lie to Charlie when I said nothing happened.

Nothing happened, honestly. And that was exactly it.

We came close to something happening. I desperately wanted something to happen. But the phone went off for the call I had been wanting forever but didn't want then.

I took it as a sign. It was a reminder of why I had never said anything before. Life was pulling us different ways. My step-mother was her aunt. My little sister was the cousin she adored. My best friend since I was about four was his her big brother.

There was no way we could really do this.

It had be immoral or something.

Despite the fact that logic came back to us and we ended up spending the night renting a movie and eating pizza, we were still pretty awkward. Kate sat on one side of the car in the backseat, typing on her cell phone with her headphones in. Sam was in the middle, falling asleep with a cup of coffee in his hand. And I was on the other side, behind Charlie.

I wasn't exactly sure where we were going. We had it plugged in the GPS for LA, and we were planning on stopping whenever. We passed through neighborhoods, through towns, through cities, through states.

It was a little depressing, going into what could be our death.

Our silence wasn't bad, I guess. Not to Aiden, Charlie, or Sam, I suppose. But it was killing me, and Kate noticed it, too.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I was brought out of my thought by my cell phone buzzing in my pocket.

**PixarRules4: Hey**

I smiled.

**SoccerGuy18: Hey, what's up?**

**PixarRules4: Road trip, too. There is this silence between Green and me. We had to share a room last night when we stopped. And I guess we almost did something. But at the same time not. I don't know. How is your family trip going?**

**SoccerGuy18: Same. I was honestly about to kiss Dianna, and then her brother called after stepping out to pick up pizza. And Nat is my best friend. I couldn't do that to him. **

**PixarRules4: Life sucks, right?**

**SoccerGuy18: And Lucy thinks something happened between us, and she is determined to find out what exactly it is.**

I glanced up to my little sister to see that she was looking back at me through her mirror, and she raised her eyebrows, which just made me shrug like I didn't know what she was thinking about.

Charlie was the perfect example of a meddling sister.

She had the smarts to figure things out, the adorableness to make you think she was innocent, and she knew how to control my love to her.

She smiled like, "Just tell me, Noah."

But I just looked back to my cell phone.

**PixarRules4: Your little sister? I was once the annoying little sister. Who am I kidding? I still am the annoying little sister.**

I smiled.

**SoccerGuy18: So, where are you guys going? We are headed to LA **

**PixarRules4: LA, too. **

My fingers sat on my screen, hesitating as I realized we were both going to be in the same place.

Should I ask?

I wanted to meet her. I wanted to know this person, to move on from Kate. To find this someone else.

But am I ready to let go of Kate yet?

I have basically been in love with her my entire life, though I only saw it when I moved out. I couldn't just shut her out, though she tried and succeeded to shut me out. I wasn't sure I was ready to just move on from it.

I glanced over at Kate, and it hit me all over again.

I wasn't ready…

**SoccerGuy18: Cool. Which state are you in now?**

**PixarRules4: Not sure, I'm not driving. So I stopped paying attention**

**SoccerGuy18: Same here.**

_**Kate,**_

Sam was still grumbling about how it was only ten and how we should be driving on because it was a long way to LA. The woman at the counter didn't seem to care, so neither did.

With the help of Charlie, I had said we should stop in some random town because we were all tired. Sam, who had slept all day, disagreed, and we had all fought over what to do for about an hour before we finally forced him to stop and get a hotel in Odessa, Texas.

Even though we all wanted to stop, I ended up taking the blame for having to stop with my brother, which I didn't mind. He was my brother, and, by definition, was always mad at me.

By the time Sam was finished, Charlie was about to fall asleep on my arm after about two hours of her complaining that Sam's snoring kept her up all night. He walked over to us, looking around like he was wondering where the two guys went.

"Aiden and Noah are parking the car and getting our stuff," I explained with a shrug, and Charlie blinked her eyes open and stood up straighter.

"So, what are room arrangements?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sam wants full of his bed instead of sharing with Aiden or Noah," Charlie explained.

"Girls together. And there is like a couch in the room or something. One of you sleep on it."

"I'm not sleeping on the couch."

"I never said you have to."

"But I'm the oldest and people always pick me because they think I don't need sleep like they do. But I do. I need more sleep."

"No, it's because you sleep in the car," I smirked.

Sam was sticking his tongue out at me when the two boys returned with our stuff. Aiden was carrying his and Sam's. And Noah, being the guy we always picked to do stuff like that, carried mine and Charlie's along with his.

"Girls together, guys together," Sam explained like the leader he always thought he was, "We're in 304. They are in 306. Let's move."

Noah rolled his eyes and let out a smirk, which just made me smile.

We piled into the elevator.

Aiden was exhausted, leaning on the wall. Charlie was leaning on me. Sam was trying to look like the leader, though Noah looked more like the leader at the moment.

But he always did to me.

He had the right way of standing, proud and strong but not unapproachable. He was carrying the ladies bag's, which gave him about a million points if you ask me. And he just had that look about him, like his dad I guess.

In the magazines he had been recently featured in for his new job, they explained him perfectly. They said he had perfect crystal blue eyes, high cheekbones that were too-die for, a killer smile, and the combination made your knees go weak. They said he was talented and was on his way to good things. His posters were on the walls of teenage girls, and, while it felt insanely weird to share him like that, I was proud of him.

He got the future he wanted. Manchester United already had him on their radar, and everyone said it was only a matter of time before he would be on their team.

I didn't know how I could ever let him go like that though….

"Here's your key," Sam handed me our room key.

"Thanks."

I put the key in my front pocket, and, before Charlie could get comfortable again, the elevator opened for us. We piled out, searching for our rooms, and Aiden let out a goodnight wave as he went into his room and landed on his bed.

Sam's hand caught the door for him and Noah, and Noah shrugged.

"I'll take their stuff in."

"Whatever," Sam pulled the door where it would stay, and I smiled my thanks to Noah as I opened the door for us.

Charlie quickly claimed a bed, landing on it with a thud and pulling a pillow over her head. Noah carefully put our bags down where I asked, and he kissed the top of Charlie's head goodnight with a gentle smile.

My heart melted for a moment, and I smiled weakly at him, thinking back to how I should have kissed him last night.

But it was too late…

"Thanks, Noah" I smiled as I walked him to the door, and he nervously smiled, too.

"Oh, it's nothing. Um…" he seemed to forget what it wanted to say, so he just shrugged, "I'll just see you in the morning. Do you want to drive?"

"Uh, sure," I shrugged awkwardly.

"Good night," he nodded, and he left to his room.

Charlie got up and walked over to us as she was grabbing a pair of pajamas.

"That was just sad, Kate. Now is anyone going to tell me what happened in Birmingham?"

"Nothing happened."

"Is that the problem?"

"What?"

"You two were alone for a night. No siblings or family members at all. All alone in a hotel room for the night. And nothing happened. Is that what's wrong?"

"Go to bed, Charlie."

"You're not answering my question," she sing-sang as she started for the bathroom, and I rolled my eyes.

* * *

_**I know this was kind of short and lame (I didn't even make the 1,000 word count I like to make or go over for each POV), but there is something I wanted to happen in the next chapter. So I guess I was just setting it up. But whatever, here is the uneventful chapter. Now I have to proof a narrative poem for English tomorrow.**_


	13. Kidnapped in a Cave

_**Noah,**_

"She's so grown up," Kate noticed, sitting on the end of her bed as she watched Charlie sleep on the other bed.

As I looked at Charlie, I saw the similarities of when she slept as a little girl. Her blonde curls were everywhere, and she was curled up in a little ball, nestled inside the blankets. Her breathing was adorable, and she occasionally said part of her dreams aloud.

But I also saw the differences. Her hair was longer, no longer just long enough for her pigtails. She was tall now, so she actually took up space in the bed unlike than just using a little part of it. She wasn't surrounded by stuffed animals and hugging Me-Mo the tightest, and her dreams weren't about being a princess.

"You know, most guys want to get as far away from their sisters when they get my age."

"But you've never been normal," Kate took a big bite of the chocolate ice cream carton in between us.

"Hence why I showed up at your door with ice cream," I smirked.

I wasn't exactly what made me show up at her room with ice cream at midnight. But I couldn't sleep. So, like I usually did whenever I did everything to try to sleep, I got my keys and got snack food to sooth my midnight snack cravigs.

When I was on my way back to my room, I just suddenly stopped in front of Kate's room instead of mine, and I found myself knocking on her door instead of how I should have been fishing around for my key. And, instead of her telling me to go to bed, she let me come in as long as I shared the snacks.

"You really should have brought your own," Kate smirked as she took another spoonful from the carton.

"I wasn't planning on showing up here, you know."

"About that, not that I am complaining in any way," she smiled, "Why did you show up?"

I shrugged, taking a spoonful for myself.

"I don't know. I just realized I hadn't done this in a long time, so why not?" I answered, and she raised her eyebrows.

"By long time, you mean two years."

"It can't have been that long, I used to always show up at your window to complain about teachers or girlfriends or something."

"Yeah, high school teachers, high school girlfriends, or high school _somethings._ When you graduated, that just ended," Kate looked down to the carton of ice cream, and I knew what she was thinking.

And we just ended…

I wasn't exactly sure why we did.

While I didn't know what broke us up, I knew what kept us apart.

I loved her, and I couldn't love her. Everything that could be wrong in this situation basically was wrong. From the fact she was kind of my cousin and my best friend's baby sister who we had both protected since we were little kids, we should not be together.

It seemed easier to just stay apart.

But now that I was with her again, I wasn't exactly sure I could have that distance again.

"Sorry about that. Life just gets in the way I guess."

Kate nodded with a shrug.

"So, what have you actually been doing?" I asked, and Kate took a big scoop of ice cream as she shrugged again.

"College stuff, I guess. I have a busy major and a busy minor, so it's a lot to do. And I have Adriane as my roommate, and she is convinced I have to have this amazing social life. And I do have friends and everything, but, a lot of the time, I would rather just go to sleep."

"Right, Annabeth is always bragging on her little genius."

"She's just happy that I have business as my major and that someone will take over the business."

"So you really want to work in the business world?"

"Honestly?"

"No, lie to me," I smiled.

She nudged me.

"I don't know," Kate looked up, "And I hate that you have to know by the time you're eighteen. I mean, I know a jest of what I want. But at the same time, I am not completely sure.

"I really think that everyone is at that point."

"Except for you," Kate stuck her tongue out at me.

I had to admit that she was right.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do by the time I was ten. When people asked me what I wanted to do for a living, it was always soccer. By the time I was fifteen, I knew my plan by heart.

I wasn't in the right place for Manchester United (my dream team) to notice me. So I needed to get on another team first and prove my skill. I would get in with a team in America and bring them up from the ground (check), and I would get the job offer to move to London.

"Well, I got a little lucky, okay?"

"A little lucky!" she laughed, "You're doing everything you want! You have checked of almost every part of your plan. If you keep playing as well as you do, you'll get the job. And, by the time I am finished with college, you will be in London."

London…

The city I had dreamed of for years now seemed suddenly so far away.

Before, I knew that I could always just get on a plane to see my little sister and family and home of New York City.

But, as I sat here across from Kate, it felt light-years away, like I would never see her again…

"You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm just suddenly realizing how far away it was."

"I know, it feels so weird to let someone that important to me go…"

My eyes flew up to Kate, who just seemed to realize what she had said.

"You know, I mean, you're my best friend," she quickly said.

"Oh, uh, yeah," I nodded.

Silence filled the hotel room, and I wasn't sure how to break it.

But Kate finally did, though it wasn't with what I wanted to be.

"You better get to bed. Sam probably wants us up early. We still have a while to get to LA."

LA.

I never really liked LA but not because of Hades.

When I was eleven, my birth-mother, JoJo, moved from New York to LA. If anything, I suppose we got closer due to the distance. Our time together was short, so we had to make the most of it. We were never really close though. My mom was constantly jealous of Annabeth because she had both my father and me, and my mom was never really a mothering type anyway.

She worked there was a journalist, one of her efforts to try to stay young and hip.

When I was fourteen, she became wife number two to Henry Alexander. He had once been engaged to Annabeth, though that ended with Annabeth leaving California for New York and falling in love with my dad again. Henry was my mom's perfect match.

He had fame, money, and was just as consumed with being hip and relevant. He had his own cooking TV show that was watched by health-freaks and bored housewives. Together, he and my mom kept up appearances in whatever was the current trend, kept a eco-friendly and healthy lifestyle, and lived in their modern mansion in the hills.

I didn't really like visiting for, if anything, the annoying chores to be "eco-friendly" and the non-stop health food.

"What is it with you and LA? You're okay with your mom and your step-dad, so why do you hate their city?"

"Not exactly sure," I shrugged as I got off the bed, throwing away my spoon and leaving the ice cream that was left over with Kate.

She followed me to the door, and I stopped at the door frame for what would be an awkward good-night exchange.

"So, goodnight I guess."

"We don't have to be so awkward, Noah," Kate's grey eyes met mine, and I felt like my brain was melting.

"I know."

"Why are we like this?"

I felt something surge through me.

Whether it was confidence, insanity, or a death wish for her brother to kill me, it was there.

_Because I love you,_ I prepared to say.

"Because I lo-"

Before I could finish, I felt a sharp pain in my neck, and the world turned to black.

_**Charlie,**_

As my eyes began to blink open, I felt a sudden sharp pain in my neck from sleeping on it wrong. The cold air hit me full force, and what had once been a soft bed had become as hard as stone. I let out a tired moan, wanting to sleep more but knowing I needed to get up.

_Sam would want to leave early…_

I sat up, looking around the room to ask what Kate what on earth had happened.

But she wasn't there. I was all alone in a cavern of stone.

I was on a landing that was completely dry, though the walls and ceiling felt moist. There were too archways at the end of the rock floor, and there was a sudden cut off to a small river below that had eroded over time to form such a large cliff.

Fear hit me hard, and my spine stiffed as I quickly stood.

Stone… I was surrounded by stone…

How? What happened?

Where were my friends? Where was my brother? Where was Aiden? Were they alright?

If they weren't, was it my fault?

_Of course it's your fault!_ I screamed at myself, _It is _your_ quest. They could all be safe at home if it wasn't for you._

I felt like I might cry, but I promised myself I wouldn't.

I wanted to prove myself, and this was my chance.

I was trying to decide which pathway to take when I heard heavy walking coming towards me, and I panicked trying to decide if I should run and not have to deal with it or stay and risk instant death to find out what happened to my friends.

In the end, I was stuck with the second whether I wanted it or not.

From the left side archway, two blocky stone monsters appeared, each carrying a large spear made of granite and shale. They walked toward me, and a paralyzing fear ran down my spine.

"She's awake. I didn't want her to be awake," one stone man said, his voice sounding like gravel.

"Then you shouldn't have taken so long to find your spear so we could get here," the other said.

They continued to argue as they got closer to me, and my eyes kept going from one to the other.

"No, I want her right arm!"

"No, _I _want her right arm!" they fought over who would have the honor of holding my right arm, and I finally interjected.

"You know, since you can't decide, I could walk myself," I tried

"No, no, Mama warned us of your trickery, and we won't fall for it. I will take your left arm," one of them took my arm, and I let out a hiss in pain as his stone hand wrapped around my upper-arm tightly.

"Yes, Mama was very strict on how to transport you."

"Why would she be so strict on such a weak young demigod? I'm only thirteen, you know. And I've never even been on a quest. There isn't much need to be strict," I tried, and the other wrapped their hand around my other arm, making me hiss again.

"Maybe she's right," one looked to the other, and the second stone ma n shook his stone block of a head.

"Mama said to do as she said, and we are going to do what she said," the second one began to pull on me with the help of the first one to the left archway again.

"What does Mama want?"

"Well, she wants you to get back at Athena and-"

"Stop, Felix!"

Felix looked down and kept walking.

_The woman in stone…_

I felt sick.

"What does she want with my friends? They haven't done anything."

"Even more torture for both Athena and Po-" Felix began.

"Felix!"

"Where are we going?" I asked, and Felix was about to say something when the other started first.

"Don't tell her that we are taking her to Los Angeles, Felix!"

Felix looked back down.

"Wherever you're taking me," I pretended like I didn't hear him, "How are my friends going to get there, too?"

"Someone else will handle that,"

"Who?"

"Stop asking so many questions, Girl!"

"She's nice, Able, don't be so mean," Felix told Able.

"But Mama said-"

"But Mama's not here," Felix told him, and Able seemed to think it over.

We were moving farther and farther away from that large amount of water, and, if I tried to use another water source, I could break the cavern and bury us all. I needed to get my information now or have another way of defeating the Stone Men.

"Fine," Able lessened his grip on me.

"So, where are we?" I asked.

"We are under your hotel about half a mile away from it," Felix answered happily.

"Really, how did you get me down here? It must have been hard for you," I pretended to be interested in how much work it must have been for the two kidnappers.

"There is a little entrance in park nearby your hotel. It was hard to drag all three of you, I didn't know your brother would be there. I thought he would be in the other room," Felix told me.

"You have my brother?"

Felix nodded like he was proud.

Now I couldn't stand it, even if I wanted to.

I began to picture that running stream I had seen before, and I began to beacon for it. I pictured it leaving the stream and coming to me.

While Felix and Able were talking amongst themselves, I peeked back to see the water waiting on my orders.

With one flick of my wrist, the water attacked Felix and Able, acting like millions of years of erosion as it blasted the rock men into pieces. The small rocks cut me and left my arm bloody from them both trying to hold on to me. But, in the end, the water stopped, and only one spear had survived.

I grabbed it and hurried off through the cambers to the other archway.

As I ran, I could only think of the bad possibilities of what could be happening to Noah and Kate.

_**Kate,**_

"Kate, wake up," someone whispered in my ear as they gently shook me, trying to wake me up.

My eyes slowly began to blink open, and they struggled to adjust to the dim light. When they did, I gasped. My spine straightened, and I sat up, leaning up against the wall as I looked around the area.

We were in… a cage.

The walls were damp, but the floor somehow remained dry. There were stone bars leading from the ceiling down, and I wasn't sure how we even got in. Outside of our prison, there were two archways, both looking exactly the same. Even if we did get out, I wasn't sure where to go…

"Calm down," Noah wrapped his arm around me, trying to calm me, and I looked up to him.

Noah looked just as frightened as me, but he had chosen to look strong for me. I admired him for it, but I admired him for just about everything he did, honestly. But, if he felt anything like I did, it must have been almost impossible to look and act as strong as he did.

"W-Where's Charlie?" I asked, almost too afraid to ask.

"I don't know," Noah admitted, his voice cracking.

"They're taking her to their leader."

My eyes shot over to the corner, where a teenage boy sat. He let out a weak wave hello.

My eyes shot back to Noah, silently asking him if we could trust him. But, whether we had a choice or not, Noah nodded that we could trust him.

"Kate, this is Chester. He's stuck here with us, too," Noah moved to where we could both look at him, though not letting go of me.

Carefully, I looked over to Chester again.

He was handsome, though too young for me.

He looked to be about fourteen, though maybe older or maybe younger. He was tall and skinny, though not gangly and too thin or anything, and he wasn't as muscular as Noah or Aiden. He had black hair that had gel to stick up like the Justin-Beiber hairstyle. His skin was olive, and the only thought I could think of was "Dark Angel" as I looked at him. His lips were thick, his cheekbones high, and his eyes dark obsidian black.

He had on a tee shirt for Greenday and a leather jacket. His jeans were worn, and he was playing with a leather bracelet with something written in Latin.

"Chester Raven," he smiled, "At your service."

"How'd you get stuck down here?" I asked, still eying him as if waiting for him to suddenly try to kill us or something.

"Stumbled in where they didn't want me. Some Son of a Hellhound stole something from my dad, and he sent his son after it," Chester shrugged, "You know the gods. Can't handle anything on their own."

"Who is your dad?"

"Pluto," Chester looked to the two of us, "What about you two?"

"I'm second generation. Poseidon is my grandfather."

"My grandmother is Demeter, and my other grandmother is Athena," I told him, and he nodded.

"What got you down here?"

I looked to Noah, letting him take the explanation on this one.

"They want my little sister," Noah explained, and Chester's eyes seemed to soften.

"So, you're the bait or they already have her?" Chester asked.

"I don't know," Noah admitted, and I took his hand and squeezed it, comforting him.

It was hard to try to comfort him when I felt like I might sob myself.

Was this it?

Was this the moment we had been praying would never happen? Had we lost Charlie forever? Would we even make it out alive?

I couldn't imagine life after Charlie. I couldn't stand to stay in New York, I would have to leave. I might not even handle being with Noah anymore. And I would forever remind him of Charlie, which would lead us to our ruin. I wasn't sure how I would do anything.

And Noah…

There was no way he could ever life without her.

Silence began to fill the air as we thought about it, as we wondered whether we would ever have her again. Chester didn't try to make conversation, he just played with the black leather bracelet, and Noah held me tight.

And then I heard the sound of running.

"Do you hear that?" I looked to Noah.

"Hear what?"

It was slowly getting louder, and everyone's ears perked up to listen to it better.

Finally, Noah's face lit up as he heard it.

He put his hand on his hip to reach for his dagger, which somehow had managed not to be taken when we were kidnapped and brought here, and he sat up, letting go of me.

I was too busy listening to be sad about that.

And then all of a sudden, a young blonde ran into the chamber and pulled to a stop.

"What the Hades?"

"Charlie," Noah and I both hurried to the bars, and she came towards us.

"You're alright," Noah did his best not to cry, but I did.

"Hi," Chester let out a wave, and she looked to the two of us as if asking for an explanation.

"Long story," I shrugged.

"Move back," Charlie motioned for us to move back to the wall of the cave, and she held up her hands to destroy the stone bars with water.

Water sprayed on me, and small rock fragments flew at me, though not enough to hurt us too much.

When the sound of water stopped, we all opened our eyes to see that the bars were gone.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here," Charlie motioned for us to follow her, and, before we could even ask, she was already making her way through the cave.

"How do you know where to go?"

"We had some pretty stupid captors," Charlie smiled, and she walked even faster through the caves, and the two boys struggled to catch up with us.

"How long do we have?"

"About a quarter of a mile, and we should be out of the cave.

* * *

_**So they got kidnapped, and little Charlie outsmarted them. And now there's Chester…**_

_**I know it was lame and rushed in Kate's POV, but I wasn't exatly sure what to do there other than let you know that they were also okay.**_


	14. Chester Raven, Prince of the Underworld

**I am officially an idiot. Chester is the son of PLUTO, not Jupiter. I don't even know how I made that mistake.**

_**Charlie,**_

"You're sure we're going right?" Kate asked, and Chester nodded, leading us through the confusing caves.

I was thankful for Chester right now. Being a son of Pluto gave him special advantages underground, and he knew exactly where to lead us. Where I would have sent us in circles, he knew the right turn, and he didn't even have to stop and think about it. He just walked on like this was his usual route home from school.

I knew I couldn't continue on as the leader when I was drained and didn't know where to go, and Noah, without meaning to or anything, usually used his natural leading abilities and ended up being the grand leader. In the end, we remembered him being the leader of our big expedition. And this was kind of my moment.

I outsmarted the Rock Men. I saved my friends. And I picked up the guy who was leading us back to safety. This was my victory.

My brother would still protect me as long as he could, and it wasn't the biggest thing in the world to give me awesome street cred. But my brother at least knew I could handle myself when he couldn't protect me, and it gave me_ some _credit.

And, even more, I felt like I had at least proved it to myself. This entire time, I had been saying that I could do it, but I didn't really know. I silently worried that I couldn't do it, too. That, no matter my training from Chiron, I might not just be cut out for it.

Now, though I needed more training and more experiences, I knew that I could do it.

"How much farther do you think we have?" I asked Chester, and he turned back to smile.

Chester was the guy you think of when you picture a Prince of the Underworld. His almond eyes were a deep obsidian black, and his hair was pitch black. His skin was olive like ours, and he had a face that looked like a statue of one of the minor gods.

It completely opposite of Aiden, the angelic soldier.

Chester was the dark angel, the taste of bad you know to avoid.

Despite how I knew better, his smile still made me grin.

"Not long. Trying to get back to someone in particular?" he smirked.

Kate raised her eyebrows, a silent tease about Aiden, and I let out a slight blush as I narrowed my eyes at her. Deciding to get even, I raised my eyebrows in the direction of Noah, sand she turned bright red and hid her face.

For the first time, I kind of felt sorry for them.

They thought the other didn't know, that the other didn't love them. That, even if they did love each other, they could never be together. They saw the things that were wrong in the relationship, never wondering if the way they felt could be worth it.

Usually, I was jealous. I mean, they knew who they were. They were grown up and respected members of camp. Kate was top of her class at college, and Noah was a professional athlete doing what he had always dreamed of. They were adored by someone they also loved, even if they didn't see it.

"So I wonder what Sam is doing," Kate smiled, trying to make conversation.

"Probably pissed that we're screwing up his time schedule," Noah smirked, being the only one who was really in the talking mood.

He hadn't left Kate's side yet, and I was beginning to doubt he would.

"How can you handle being his roommate?" Kate asked, "_And_ working with him."

"You grew up with him!" Noah laughed.

"But we didn't have to get along, I'm his little sister. You're his best friend. That has to be tiring."

"And Adriane isn't?"

"You have a point," Kate and Noah continued on, and I decided not to join in on their conversation.

Instead, I found myself walking faster to catch up with the Dark Angel.

Chester looked over at me and let out a small smile.

"So you like Nemo?"

"What?"

He nodded towards my shirt, and I suddenly noticed I was still wearing my favorite _Finding Nemo_ tee shirt and black pajama bottoms. I mentally grimaced, and I smiled weakly.

It wasn't that bad, I guess, but it felt kind of childish when I was standing next to a guy in all black and a leather jacket.

_And I'm officially a five year old in his eyes…_

I hated that, though I wasn't even sure why I wanted him to like me. He was the opposite of my type. He was smooth-talking, bad for you, and was honestly too good to be true. There was something wrong, and it was most likely a big deal-breaker.

But I did want him to like me, and so far I was the girl who showed up looking like a mess in a pair of Nemo pajamas and destroyed a prison cell. I was Noah's little sister, the girl they had been most likely crying about if I knew Kate and Noah.

"Yeah, I do," I crossed my arms.

"I was always a Stich guy," Chester smirked, putting me to ease.

I smiled.

"So, your name is Charlie, right?" Chester kept trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, and you're Chester, right?" I continued it, though I wasn't as good as it as him.

I wasn't antisocial. I knew how to get along with people, and I was pretty good at it, I guess. My mother, being a business woman who had to deal with all sorts of people, taught me that. But I wasn't exactly the most talkative person either.

"Chester Raven," he bowed, "Prince of the Underworld."

"I have never heard anyone say that."

"Because you've never met a Prince of the Underworld. We all do this," he smirked.

"Nico di Angelo is one of my godfathers."

I had many godparents. My parents were very careful, especially when it came to their two children. Nico was far down the line, basically saying that twenty people would have to die for me to ever live with him. But he was on the list somewhere.

"But he comes and goes, a free spirit. I'm more grounded, so I'm Prince," Chester continued with a playful smile.

"So you live in the Underworld?"

"I live with my mother, but it's near my kingdom," he smiled with a proud but playful smile.

"_Your kingdom_?"

"My kingdom," he smiled, and I smiled, too, though I usually would have rolled my eyes at a remark like that.

But Chester had that air about him, a rare personality trait in children of Hades. You automatically wanted to like him. It wasn't like Aunt Hazel, who is so sweet that you love her. You knew he was probably evil, most likely the sweet-talking bad boy so many songs warn girls about, and you knew that he wasn't the guy who should be likeable. But you found yourself smiling at his jokes, wanting to be around him, and wanting to get to know him.

"So a granddaughter of Poseidon," he looked to me, "We should be enemies, right?"

"My grandfather is Poseidon, and my grandmother is Athena. My family doesn't listen to godly feuds much."

"Apparently not," he smirked, but I saw something as he recognized the linage. He knew who I was…

The Daughter of the Mind and Sea.

"So, I'm guessing you're on a quest, and, since you're Greek, you're going West. And, since there isn't much other than the Underworld in LA, I'm also guessing you're on your way there."

"Well, you're right. Where are you going?" I asked, looking from the open dark space of the caves back to Chester.

"LA. To bring something to my family down there," he shrugged, and I nodded as we kept walking.

I began to notice that the walk way got wider, able to hold three people walking side by side instead of two, and I noticed that we were beginning to go at even more of an incline. And then I noticed the human blood on the floor.

Instinctively, my body constricted, and I cursed myself for losing the stone spear along the way.

I was watching Chester carefully, waiting for him to attack, but, instead, I saw our holy grail. There was a staircase in the middle of the walkway leading up towards light, and the caves continued on in the other way, taking you as far as you wanted to go.

Chester's lips formed a big smile.

"And we're here."

_**Aiden,**_

I paced the floor of the hotel room, my head spinning, and I felt nauseous. My eyes flew over the room again, as if another look would suddenly show me a big clue that would put my mind to rest and let me calm down.

Nothing.

I continued to pace, and I worried that, if I stopped, I would start throwing up.

_Where were they? Where_ was she_?_

Noah and Kate?

I honestly wanted them to disappear together, go off and have a little too much fun and stop this whole thing of being in love with each other and not wanting to admit it. It wouldn't have really shocked me if I came in the room and found Charlie but not Kate and Noah. Sam would have been pissed and freaked out, but I wouldn't have really worried.

I would be calming everyone else down, saying they were probably going off for a walk or breakfast or something like that.

But Charlie just didn't disappear.

She was impulsive, yes. She could make bad decisions but got lucky with them, yes. And she wasn't that experienced, yes.

But Charlotte Jackson wasn't that stupid. She was still somewhat careful, and she would never leave her family, especially not her big brother. Her loyalty was strong, maybe too strong. From the logical standpoint, it was dangerous for her and might cost Charlie her life, but even I had to admit it was somewhat sweet.

Then again, I seemed to be giving Charlie more than anyone I had ever really met. In New Rome, I wasn't cruel or anything, but I was known for being realistic. If I thought you couldn't handle yourself in the field, I immediately went harder on you in the arena to help you learn. Some people loved me for it, and some didn't.

But I didn't do that with Charlie, and I wasn't sure why. She was _thirteen_, two years younger than me. I was on my way to being Praetor of New Rome, and she was just starting out in Camp Half-Blood. It's not like I could…

"You're distracting me, Aiden," Sam continued to search for them using the Mist, and I balled my fist.

"Why are we here when they are out there?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Aiden, it's a pretty big world. We can't just go looking for them! They'll be dead by the time we even get close."

My stomach twisted, and I glared at him, hating him for bringing up that thought.

Dead?

Dead… she could die. She could already be dead...

I felt like, if I kept walking, I would throw up, so I sat on the edge of one of the beds.

"Why are you so scared anyway? This is my little sister, my cousin, and my best friend. And you just met them," Sam eyed me, his assumption reading loud and clear, and I tried to ignore it. I shrugged, taking on the Roman Future-Praetor in me.

"It's a quest," I tried, "And over half of our party is missing."

My jaw tightened, and I painted my Roman war face, the face I had seen perfected by many a great leader and war hero. It was the look of logic. It showed only thoughts, no emotion and no personal investment. It was a look I had spent years working on, but it felt almost impossible to pull off right now.

But Sam went for it, though he kept looking at me suspiciously.

"I'm going to the vending machine. Want anything?" I stood, and he shook his head.

"Nope."

I walked out of the hotel room, and I let the door slam behind me.

Instead of waiting for the elevator, I took the stairs, and my walking quickly turned to running. The exercise sped up my heart and made my breathing heavier. It made my brain think better, and my body began to switch to warrior mode, the only mode where I really felt like I could think.

I ditched the idea of going to the vending machine, and I set off for a jog, wanting to clear my mind and knowing that Sam would be happier if I disappeared for a little while.

I smiled to the woman at the desk, who I had just had to see after asking for another day and claiming that my friends were so tired and they needed to sleep. She let out a smile, and I forced myself to walk through the sidewalk to a nearby park instead of how I wanted to break into a full out sprint.

Texas was different from New Rome in so many ways I felt foreign. The sky felt so much… bigger. The land felt flatter. There was a calmer feel, though that was natural in any place not full of Romans poised to kill. Even the air tasted different.

I had been to different places, my job required it. But Texas was a first.

I hurried into the park, and I noticed that even the ground felt different under my sneakers.

As soon as I could, my feet began into sprint straight off, and, the faster my body moved, the faster my thoughts drifted off. I ran, my heart beating faster, my breathing louder and louder, and I kept going. The adrenaline took over, and it blocked out everything else.

Eventually, I ran out of park and ran out of energy, and I had to stop at a tree and take in a deep breath. But I wasn't ready to go back yet.

I took out my work cell phone, running my hand over the heavy-duty purple phone and the imprint of an eagle on the back. The edges were gold, and it was set to my DNA to be the phone it really was. Otherwise, it was a tricked out smartphone who likes Rome.

In my division, these were standard-issue.

In my division…

My division didn't exist unless they wanted it to.

And right now I was on vacation, whether they wanted me to or not.

I had the urge to check it , but I forced myself to put it in my pocket. And I began back to the hotel, walking this time so I wouldn't be drenched in sweat when I got back to Sam in the hotel room.

My mind wandered back to Charlie, and the fear seized me again.

"Gods, we look like Hades," I heard someone mutter, and my spine straightened.

I knew that voice…

"Well, we look better than being with Hades, Kate," someone moaned, and my head whipped back to the direction I heard it from.

"Where are we?"

Now I was moving faster, heading towards a clump of bushes.

And then I saw someone come out.

I stopped, my eyes narrowing in to see if I could recognize the figure.

I didn't…

But I felt like I should.

And then I felt my heart stop.

"Gods, it's bright."

Oh. My. Gods.

_Charlie…_

Before I could even get passed being paralyzed, I heard another familiar voice as the two other missing quest members came through the bushes.

"Where the Hades have you been?"

"Nice to see you, too, Sam," Noah smiled, and Charlie started off to me.

But, when she got to me, she wasn't sure what to say, and I couldn't stop looking at the way the guy in black kept looking at her. I got the picture pretty fast, and I suddenly found that I still felt sick. I still needed a long run, I still felt like I was going to throw up, and I wanted to go back to yesterday.

"Stone men kidnapped us," Charlie looked up to Sam, "We just had to search through tunnels to get back here, you know. Don't complain so much."

"Fine, who's the kid in leather over here?"

"This is Chester, son of Pluto. He helped us find our way out, and he is coming with us," Kate told us.

"We're picking up another one?" Sam complained, and he turned to me with an apologetic smile, "No offense, Aiden."

"None taken," I told him, hoping that we wouldn't have to bring Chester along either. It wasn't just about Charlie, there was something off about the guys…

"I mean, this kid can _fly_. I can handle him. But I don't know about another one. And where are we going to put him?" Sam kept going.

"This is Charlie's quest. She gets to decide, not you, Sam."

"Alright then, Charlie, _you _decide."

My eyes moved straight to Charlie's, and she quickly looked away, telling my answer before I even really wanted to know it.

_He's coming…_

"We owe him. Besides, there's room if we pull up the seats in the back. I've seen you fit half your team in there before," Charlie announced.

_**Noah,**_

The seating arrangements worked out to be a little bit awkward for all of us.

In the front of the car, Sam was driving and still upset about our new passenger. Aiden was with him, headphones in and trying his hardest not to seem awkward and slightly mad at Charlie.

In the middle, Kate and I were sitting in the backseat. She was fine now, I knew she was. But I still felt like I did underground, wanting to hold her close. I had to fight it off, playing angry birds on my cell phone instead.

And, in the very back, the youngest of our group sat together. Charlie was getting some sleep after a lot of effort exerted, and the new quest member was with her. Chester looked out the window, though he only saw everything with a dark tint thanks to his dark aviators.

I wasn't sure how I liked Chester. I doubted we would end this journey as friends, but I didn't think we'd end it as enemies either. I didn't know Chester at all other than knowing he was charismatic and was the son of Pluto.

But I did know that I didn't like him around my baby sister.

Maybe it was just all that leather and black he wore warning me to keep him away from my little sister, or maybe it was just that I didn't know him. But I wanted him far away from her.

Despite how I felt the same way about Aiden earlier, I began to wish I could trade the dark charismatic prince for the great angel. But from how pissed Aiden looked, I wasn't so sure I would get my wish, no matter how much I wanted it.

I began to wonder if Charlie could see it or if Aiden even really knew why he was mad.

I remembered when that happened with me and Kate. Our friend, Austin, got a quest and chose the two of us. I remembered how horrible I felt as I watched the two of them, as I watched as they fell for each other. It made me sick, and it almost ruined my relationship with Kate and it did ruin my relationship with Austin. But I didn't know why. I didn't know why it hurt me so much.

When they started dating, I could barely even look at Austin, and I forced myself to be around Kate. Even after they called it quits five months into their relationship, I kept thinking about it. I told myself that I was jealous that she wouldn't have time for me anymore, but I knew that really wasn't it. It wasn't until I was about nineteen that I figured out how much I loved her.

And now I was watching it again, just with different people.

But, if she chose Chester, Aiden would be one end of a quest and an awkward goodbye away from leaving from LA to New Rome, probably to never see her again. And, if she chose Aiden, Chester was gone again.

I got a second chance, Charlie didn't.

But was I even using my second chance?

I looked back over to Kate, who was on her cell phone, and I thought about how much it hurt when I saw her with Austin.

And I realized that I would have to see it again, just someone else. I would have to watch her fall in love, watch her heart break, and watch as she found the right one. I would have to watch as she could only see him, watch him be the guy I wanted to be, and watch as she would one day come to me with a big smile and an engagement ring.

I felt dizzy as I thought about her marrying someone else, and I suddenly felt nauseous.

I had to look away and stare at my cell phone's screen not to throw up in Sam's precious car.

And then an icon for a new IM popped up on my screen.

**PixarRules4: Today has been a long, long day. Please suddenly inspire me with a great story of your day that will cheer me up.**

I smiled to myself.

**SoccerGuy18: I would if I had a good day. The closest thing to "Good" of this day is that Dianna was there, though she had to suffer this long day with me. Not even my little sister's presence could have made this a great day.**

**PixarRules4: I knew it would be awkward to have a big road trip with Green, but he isn't what is making this hard. Actually he's making it easy, maybe even enjoyable. And that is making it so hard…**

**SoccerGuy18: I never thought I would say this, but it was easier when she was avoiding me…**

**PixarRules4: She avoided you?**

**SoccerGuy18: For about two years, I guess. It wasn't like she made a big show of it. It happened over time. You know, we didn't talk one day, that isn't much. Busy the next day, and tired the next. And suddenly it's been a month, and you haven't spoken to her at all and she hasn't tried to call either. And then it reaches the worst part of all, when the rift seems too big and you don't even know what you would say if you did call.**

**PixarRules4: Yeah, I know that…**

**SoccerGuy18: If you could tell Green anything right now without fear, what would it be?**

**PixarRules4: That I love him… What about you? If Dianna wouldn't freak out or get scared or whatever, what would you want to tell her?**

I glanced at Kate, and I looked back to my cell phone.

There was so much I would tell her. About how much I loved her, how much I had really always loved it, and how I had only seen it when I had lost her. About how it killed me that we could never be together, that Aphrodite could be so cruel to me. And that, above all else, I did need her in my life, that I needed my best friend back.

**SoccerGuy18: Honestly? I would tell her how much I missed her. I mean, I love her, but she was my best friend for my entire life and she just left my life…**

Nothing for a while, then my phone vibrated again.

**PixarRules4: And SG officially takes the prize and has gone the deepest.**

**SoccerGuy18: :-P**

**PixarRules4: You are so five years old**

**Soccerguy18: And you're four ;-D**

**PixarRules4: Nice, very funny.**

* * *

_**So Chester is on the journey, and he is the son of PLUTO, NOT JUPITER. Just want to make sure we got that.**_

_**Sorry, I haven't updated. I have had a lot of writing to do for school (A paper for Guidance over someone inspirational that was due in a week but I thought was due that day. A lyrical poem I still have to completely finish when I get home because we went somewhere for the weekend and I forgot on my bed. And a paper over Australian Aborigines for Art). And I just didn't finish it until now.**_

_**Now this is going seem weird and that this makes me sound like a crazy little fangirl, but whatever. I was happy for Miley and Liam because I thought that he was good for her and that they looked truly happy. And, through pressing a bunch of links on Youtube, I found the song "Wedding Bells" by Nick Jonas. And all of a sudden, I felt this sudden feeling of crying and wishing for Niley after shipping it for so long. So much so I actually started writing a one-shot about Nick and Miley and how he was feeling when he wrote the song. But I think I write too many RomComs because, when I heard that, I suddenly pictured something like I wrote in **_**We All Grow Up, Even Percabeth**_** or **_**You've Got Mail**_** happening to them.**_

_**I just thought I might want to share it with those fans of mine who actually read my Author's Note. Please tell me that someone feels the same and that I'm not just crazy.**_


	15. An Acting Job For a Necklace

_**I realized I didn't really explain why they had to take the acting job, so I kind of added in something that explains it a little bit better.**_

* * *

_**Charlie,**_

"Get me a coke!" Sam called out to me, and that began people jumping in also wanting something from the gas station we had stopped at. We were out of Texas, and I had just woken up. I had said I was going to get a Gatorade, and somehow that turned into everyone wanting something but being too lazy to get it.

Everyone but Aiden said they wanted something.

Aiden and I hadn't really spoken much, but the distance was getting easier instead of the awkward need for space but want to break it. I could tell that we would be alright, speak again, and that we could even be close again. But, at the same time, I still found myself worrying that this was it.

That we only got two days of us and that I had just given up him for an inkling that there might be something with Chester.

A part of me was angry at both of them. Before I met Aiden and Chester, I was a thirteen year old who was more concerned of earning her place in the ranks of Camp Half-Blood than any boy. And then I just had to stop by Aiden's door to hear him play the guitar…

But I couldn't exactly hate either of them.

Aiden was the angel every girl dreams about. He was a bit rigid, though still fun when you got to know him. He could be a soldier who thought in the mind of what it took to win, but he was still good-natured. He was everyone's dream guy, right down to the small amount of secrets he keeps.

And Chester was the little demon you stayed away from. He had that cocky smile that seemed to be permanently on his lips, and his obsidian black eyes always seemed to be playful. Though he seemed outgoing and friendly, he also had that dark side that you found yourself interested in.

So I had no idea where my standing was.

I hurried my walk into the gas station, and I began to pick up the things everyone had wanted, adding in a few more things that I wanted. And I was waiting in line when I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye, though I shrugged it off.

"Psst," the woman whispered.

I didn't do anything, just kept looking ahead.

And she did it again.

"Psst."

My eyes moved over to a woman in the line next to me, pushing her sunglasses down her nose to look at me.

I gasped.

The woman was trying to look inconspicuous but did the opposite. Her long brown hair was pulled into what was supposed to be a lazy bun, but it was flawless. She tried to look like she didn't do her make-up, but she looked just as perfect. She was wearing a red sweatshirt and jeans, but they complimented her small frame.

Instantly, I knew those high cheekbones, prominent features, and the way that she seemed to be looking down at everyone, even if she was meeting your eyes.

Hera.

My body tensed, and I couldn't help but just stare at her.

"Charlotte," she looked around to everyone, "I need to speak to you."

"Uh, I need to check out," I nodded towards the line, not wanting to speak to her really.

She and my mother had some problems in the past. My mother disrespected her, and Hera went out of her way to hurt my mother from then on, even taking away my father for six months and taking him to the Roman Camp. She had even made my mother's pregnancy with me as hard as possible, including a horrible birth.

Hera snapped her fingers, and my stuff was suddenly in bags.

"You already did."

I let out a forced but trying smile and nodded.

"Come with me, I need your help and your party's."

She started walking off towards the car, unable to hide her confident stride even though she tried, and Sam's jaw dropped as he spotted her from the driver's seat.

"Everyone's here, no?"

I nodded, and Hera snapped her fingers.

The next thing I knew, we were in Old Town in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I remembered this park from when I was ten. My mother had to do something for work here, and my father was teaching something at Camp Half-Blood and my brother was in California with his mom. So my mother and I went to Albuquerque for the weekend, going to all of the Historical Tours. That became our tradition every year, always a different place though.

Hera was no longer in hiding. Instead of the old jeans and sweatshirt, she was wearing a crisp white business suit. Her hair was in a perfect bun, and her brown eyes were hidden with tortoise shell glasses. Her lips were dark red, and they were pursed with displeasure.

And she had made us look better as well.

Kate was now wearing a burgundy wrap dress, and her hair was perfect and wavy. Noah was all cleaned up and wearing a V-Neck long sleeve tee shirt and perfectly-fitting jeans. Sam was wearing the same, only his shirt was grey instead of Noah's blue. Aiden was wearing the same except for his blonde hair being styled. And Chester was still wearing his greenday tee shirt and leather jacket, only they both had been pressed, and his old baggy jeans were replaced by new well-fitting jeans.

And then there was what I was wearing. She hadn't put me in a dress like she had with Kate. Instead, I was wearing a new pair of dark wash jeans. As it seemed to be Hera's favorite color, I was wearing a burgundy shirt underneath a black preppy-blazer, and my hair was in a braid down my back.

Sam opened his mouth to ask something, but Hera held up her hand.

"Your car is right over there," she pointed to a parking lot, "Your old clothes are there too, if you missed those old things. And what you bought at the convenience store is also waiting on you."

We all looked to each other, our fear of the goddess evident.

"Now, let's get down to business," Hera began, "Do you notice anything different about me? Maybe the lack of a necklace?"

I focused my eyes on her, but I didn't see what she was talking about.

Then Kate spoke up.

"Your ruby necklace, it's gone."

"Smart girl," she smiled, "And that would be because of my _husband._"

Her distain was evident in her voice.

"For you see, this is the woman he gave it to," she handed us a picture of a young bleach-blonde woman who looked vaguely familiar, "Her name is Breanna Blue. An ex-model turned actress who is here on location. And my husband's girlfriend. Now, I don't really mind. Just as long as he doesn't embarrass me or impregnate her. And he doesn't give her my stuff. The latter of which he has done. I need you to get it for me."

"Couldn't you ask Zeus to get your necklace back?" Chester asked, and Hera shook her head.

"He refuses to, says it would be disrespecting her and she doesn't know he's married or something like that. His excuses are all the same, you would expect better from a god who does it so much. But its _disrespecting me_ as well. So I need you to get the necklace."

"You want us to steal a girl's necklace?" Sam asked.

"No, I want you to _return_ a necklace that belongs to _me_. It is not _hers._"

"But she thinks it is hers," Kate jumped in to keep the goddess from getting too mad at him.

"Well, she is a stupid little Hollywood airhead," Hera took off her sunglasses, and I forgot how sick her piercing eyes can make you.

"Agreed," Kate nodded, "So, how do you want us to do it?"

"Simple, you are the new team for the movie. This is a romantic comedy, and the people who were going to play the friends had to drop out of the film last minute. You need to distract them, they are very strict with security. The only way to get all of you in without one of you ending up in jail is for you to be in the movie. So I got you in. You are playing the star's sister," she pointed to Kate, "You are her boyfriend," she pointed to Noah, "And you are the womanizing friend," she pointed to Sam, "It shouldn't be _that_ hard for any of you. You have two scenes, and they all start soon."

She handed them each a script with _Dessert in the Desert _written in bulk letters, and she handed Sam a piece of paper with an address.

I looked to Aiden and Chester.

"What about us?"

"You, Charlotte, will lead the real quest," she smiled her perfectly-white smile, "You and your friends will get the necklace."

I took a breath and nodded.

"We can handle it…."

"Great, you've accepted. Now, a few heads up. The woman is the daughter of Venus. And her body guards are sons of Ares who are deeply in love with her and always trying to make her happy. And saving her favorite new necklace could get them in good with her. Goodbye, young heroes."

Like that, she was gone.

We all looked to each other, and we all frowned.

"Let's go then," Sam stood, "I want to see what she did to my car."

_**Kate,**_

While we were working towards the set, Noah and I read through the script for _Dessert in Desert._ It was a forgettable Romantic Comedy about a chef living in New Mexico who owned her own bakery. As you can probably guess, she had what she thought was a perfect life, then a guy came and shook everything up. Problems came, and she ended up with him in the end after a big romantic, dramatic speech.

I knew Breanna Blue for the hit movie, _Take a Bite of My Heart_, where it runs the typical script. A vampire breaks all the rules by falling for a man named Luke. When she runs off with him, she has to fight those of her kind who disagree with her choice. Breanna Blue played the evil vampire against them. She wasn't really famous for the role though.

She was famous for the way she interviewed. She came off as an insanely beautiful, sweet southern girl with a Lousianna accent so sweet it almost hurt your teeth. She took the world by storm, leaving the girl who actually stared in the movie in the dust. She saw her chance of stardom and seized it.

Now she had movies and cameos all lined up, and she took every chance she could to get her name out there.

And now she was dating Zeus….

When we arrived at the area we were supposed to be shooting, the mist paid off, and they had us get out of our car to get into the area in the square we were shooting. Paparazzi swarmed, snatching picture after picture. And it got even worse when a photographer from New York recognized Sam and Noah. Though they were local stars, being on set of a Breanna Blue movie made them a whole lot more, especially after the recent thing about Noah in a teen magazine.

One of the guards hurried us into the set, and Charlie and the two younger boys slipped away.

I didn't even know who was doing it, but someone hurried us to an area where everyone was getting their hair and make-up done.

"Finally!" someone walked up to us, holding a clipboard, and she glared, "We have to hurry because you are late. Breanna has a date, and she wants to be finished in time."

She motioned for everyone to begin, and what had once been a peaceful area became as crazy as a warzone.

"You look fabulous already," a woman smiled, "Just a few touch-ups."

"And a change of shoes," someone chimed in.

"Oh, and get that boy a blazer!" someone with a headset yelled, and interns swarmed around while some make-up artist sat me down to finish-up on me.

"On it, one blazer!"

"Make that boy's hair less perfect!"

Someone pushed Sam down to a seat while another threw Noah a blazer.

"Make-up on all of them! They look tired!"

Noah and Sam both began to object, but they had no choice.

"Change that girl's clothes! Too confident."

For the next ten minutes, I had no idea what was going on. My hair was being curled. My clothes being changed. Make-up being applied. Interns asking if I needed anything. Schedules being read off. Lines being studied.

It made me dizzy, and I thanked the gods when they finally all stepped away from me.

Even I had to gasp.

I looked… _amazing._

They had made me beautiful but not too beautiful to steal Breanna's thunder, though I doubted that could happen. My hair was curled around me and manageable. My grey eyes were highlighted, and my make-up was perfect. My jeans were a perfect fit, and my shirt was a loose grey peasant blouse that didn't show off my curves too much but still made me look good. And they even let me wear sneakers…

I smiled, and they all had a look of pride.

And then they moved away from Noah.

I had to gasp.

Noah always looked perfect, but now?

Now, I felt like I was looking at a god.

I couldn't even really notice Sam compared to Noah.

"Come with me," the woman with the clipboard nodded to Sam, "You two can follow Missy."

She nodded towards an eager young intern, and Noah and I got closer to each other while I tried not to stare at him.

"Hello, I'm Missy," a girl stepped up while the other woman led Sam away, "Come with me."

We weaved through people getting ready for a scene and ended up sitting on a bench with scripts being shoved at us.

I looked to Noah, who looked just as flustered as me.

"What we do for the gods," he smiled, and I let out a small laugh.

I looked down to the script and looked for the part I was playing, Sara, who happened to was the star's sister who lived in California and was coming to see her with her boyfriend with the big announcement that she was engaged. The sister showed her that love was worth it, which promoted her to then end up with the male star of the movie.

"So, we're engaged."

"Apparently," Noah smiled a little awkwardly.

"And Sam is a waiter."

Noah smiled.

"What do you think Charlie is doing?" I asked, rubbing my arm nervously as I thought about the fact that the closest thing to acting was lying to my dorm advisor about why I was late to curfew and pretended I wasn't in love with Noah.

"Well, she's not stuck memorizing lines."

"By the way, do you know how to act?"

"I can kind of lie…."

"I can convince my dorm advisor that I got stuck in traffic and that I shouldn't get in trouble."

"I can convince Coach that I had a cold instead of just a hangover."

I smiled, and he shrugged with smile.

"You'll do fine. A lot of people make millions for acting and can't act just like us."

I smiled a little wider.

_**Noah,**_

I watched Kate try to memorize her monologue, and I thanked the gods that I got off so easy. Sam got off easier. He had to just be a quick role of a college-age waiter who is friends with the male co-star and reminds him not to give up. It was a quick little scene. But I got off the easiest. All I had to do was look good, smile, and carry a few bags.

We were currently waiting on the star, Breanna Blue, to get off the phone with her new "beau" as everyone called him and get ready for the scene. I couldn't decide whether I was happy about this or not. On one hand, the longer she took, the longer I had before having to act. On the other, the less time Charlie had to get the necklace.

I tried not to think about it though. Instead, I focused on how Kate that that adorable little furrow in her brow from studying the script.

I used to tease her about that look when we were younger and use to study together. I would usually do it when I didn't want to study anymore because teasing her about it would usually end up with us throwing pillows from the couch at each other or something like that, something that started when we were kids and continued when we grew up.

I missed being kids. It didn't mean anything when I wanted to spend all of my time with Kate. It was cute when I loved Kate, and it made parents simply smile. I was too busy thinking of a lie to tell my teacher about how I forgot to do my homework than how to lie to everyone about how I felt about Kate. Everything was so simple back then…

Now everything is so complicated.

"Okay, I think I've got this," Kate leaned back, taking in a deep breath, and I smiled at her.

"I don't even have any lines."

She playfully shoved me (or maybe it wasn't playful, but I took it was playful), and I laughed, which made her stick her tongue out at me.

"You are five years old, you know that, right?"

"That would make you six, Noah."

Now I stuck my tongue out.

Kate let out her adorable laugh, and her eyes met mine, which made me forget what we were even talking about before that.

Her eyes quickly darted away from mine.

"I wonder where Sam is. He must be done by now."

"Probably hitting on an intern or some pretty young actress."

"Sounds like Sam," she rolled her eyes.

"And I'm starting to think that he is more worried about whether his car will be hurt in the quest than if we will," I smirked.

"Well, we're bound to get hurt. His car is his baby," Kate laughed.

"You and your laptop are just as close," I smirked again, and she crossed her arms.

"What about you and your cell phone? You have barely put it down since we got in the car. You think I don't see you texting?" she smiled smugly, thinking she had won.

But it was a different story.

It wasn't the phone. It was Pixar…

"What about you? You've been doing _exactly_ the same," I told her, trying to avoid the question that I knew she would ask about who I was talking to. I could tell her it was someone I had started talking to online, but that would soon start on her wanting to see the messages, even if she did try to respect my space for a little while. It might take a while, but she would soon still my phone and read the messages.

And I couldn't imagine how on earth I could handle her reading them.

The thought even made me a little sick.

But then I remembered that she had been texting someone the entire time as well.

"It's not like you aren't doing the same," I pointed out, and she even seemed to blush, though she continued to fight with me.

"It's different."

"Oh, really who are you texting?"

She seemed flustered, but, like I had earlier, she countered.

"Who are _you_ talking to?"

"Well… uh," I stopped, "A person."

She raised her eyebrows, laughing.

"And who are _you_ talking to?"

"Someone…" she pushed her hair behind her ear.

"So, I'm not telling, and you're not telling."

"We have a deal?" Kate put out her hand for a handshake, and I took her hand to shake it.

Our eyes met, and I felt my mind blank again.

"You guys are really taking this role seriously!" Missy's voice broke through the haze, and we both looked up to her, "You know, I have known actors with really important parts who barley even cared about it. But you guys are really committing to these parts."

She smiled, impressed with us, and we quickly moved away from each other, not wanting to tell her that we weren't exactly _acting._

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I break your focus?" Missy asked, putting on

"Course not," Kate smiled weakly.

"Well, here's the engagement ring you need to wear. And just keep up with what you were doing. You guys are really great," Missy handed Kate the ring box, and Kate held the box in her hand as she turned back to her.

"What we do for the gods," she quoted me, and I smiled.

"Need help practicing your lines."

"Most definitely."

* * *

**So Hera has a mission for them, and Kate and Noah have to be actors who are supposed to be engaged. And Missy added yet another moment ruined to the pile of ruined almost-happened times with Kate and Noah. I'm evil, right?**

**Good news though. My laptop is finally about to be returned to me, and I don't have to use this little thing anymore. I should have it by Monday or Tuesday!**

**And bad news. I kept getting sick, and we finally went to the doctor to find out what happened. Turns out I have a really weak immune system from a medicine I took when I had the flu, and, if I hadn't gone to the doctor to get the antibiotics I needed, I probably would have ended up with pneumonia. I couldn't go back to school until Monday, and the last three days have been big test days. So I can't do anything here but have a lot to do when I get back.**


	16. Brenna Blue's Rubies

_**Charlie,**_

While I hated admitting it, Hera was probably right to sneak us in under the cover as the kids three actors couldn't get out of babysitting. Security was tight, and they were even tighter as we got closer and closer to Breanna Blue's dressing room, our target.

Demigod and human security guards formed a perimeter around the area set up for screening, which I understood. But they were also in the crowd, watching to make sure we were all good around Hollywood's current princess. Some of them strayed off topic, flirting with the young interns or playing on their smartphones.

For all they knew, their worst fear was a rabid fan wanting an autograph and to know if Breanna _really_ dumped Matthew Hamming, a well-known singer who wrote the hit single, Baby Blue, about Breanna Blue. It skyrocketed both of their careers, and rumors had been going about after a big fight in an LA club and countless sources announced they had split afterwards, though they hadn't said anything about it.

And we were trying to steal a priceless ruby necklace.

Luckily though, Aiden and I seemed to fit into the scenery, looking like random extras in the preppy chef movie. Chester, the Dark Prince, stuck out like a sore thumb though. No matter what I tried, I couldn't hide him.

It was hard to sneak around with the two of them together especially though. Chester had a stride, his aviators perched on his nose and his awareness that people noticed him. Aiden had his spine rigid and his face was all business. And I was in between the two, nondescript in between such handsome guys and surrounded by beautiful actresses.

I was so busy studying the security guards that I didn't notice a young blonde assistant walking up to us until Chester stopped and I almost ran into him. I followed his eyes to the woman, and my stomach fell to my feet from the way she was looking at us.

It was already over…

"Where are you going?"

I was paralyzed. I expected Chester to say something, but his mouth was shut. And Aiden was thinking of something to say.

Then she spoke again.

"If you guys are extras in the restaurant scene, you need to be on set now unless you want your job going to someone else," she crossed her arms, and I felt sick as I remained frozen. She looked to each of us like a mother looking to her kids for them to rat out which one of them messed up the kitchen.

"I am not an _extra_," Aiden glared at her, and my eyes flew to him.

He had changed from the quiet soldier lost in thought to the persona of a rich, spoiled son of Hollywood.

"I am _Aiden Blue._ I am your boss's _nephew_, not an _extra_. Apparently, you spend too much time reading _US Weekly_ instead of _Hello!_ I am the star of _The Darkness_, only the second best TV show in Europe right now. I just stopped here with my friends to see my cousin," Aiden gave her a nasty look as if planning how to rave about her on his blog or get her fired.

The assistant's jaw dropped, and she quickly apologized, though Aiden made it clear he wasn't accepting it.

"Save your breath, and _don't_ tell Breanna, alright? I am trying to surprise her, and you _better_ not ruin that, too."

She nodded quickly and asked if he needed anything again, though he quickly shook her off.

"Will you excuse me and my friends?" he looked at her, putting his hand on my shoulder as if to guide me away, and I couldn't help it. I looked at him with such thankfulness and happiness that I must have looked like a mesmerized fan he brought along for the day to the assistant.

"Oh of course, Mr. Blue. Her dressing room is actually in that back building," the woman pointed, "If you need anything, and I do mean _anything_, don't hesitate to ask me or anyone working here on the set."

Aiden's face stayed the same, and he gave her a look of distain before beginning to lead me away, and Chester followed quickly. Aiden's face stayed straight, but he cracked a grin a few feet later. And Chester looked at him, still not liking him but he had new found respect for him.

"That was awesome," he smiled.

"Thanks. Come on," he lead us on, and I kept smiling, though something in me didn't exactly like when his arm was no longer around me. It was clear when we were getting towards Breanna's dressing room because the security guards became more buff and much more observant.

_Sons of Mars_, I could tell immediately, and my spine straightened, my hands digging into the pockets of my jeans.

They were all working towards wherever Breanna was though, thinking no one would make it in much less get into her dressing room, and there was only one left by her dressing room. But his eyes were trained on a pretty young make-up artist talking on her cell phone.

Chester smiled wide, a plan forming in his devious black eyes.

"I've got this one," he walked towards the guard, a smirk on his lips, and he began to talk to him, occasionally pointing at the young woman. We moved to where we could see him but he would have to be really looking to see us.

"Oh my gods, he's seriously telling him to go hit on the girl," I laughed, and Aiden watched, though he didn't seem that happy that his triumph now seemed to be forgotten.

The guard nodded with a big smile and started towards her, but no one could beat Chester's smile as he waved us towards.

"Let's get this over with," Aiden walked faster, and his hand twitched, like he wanted to take my hand and pull me along but ended up not doing it. I followed after him, and I was hurrying up the stairs to the door with a big blue _Breanna Blue_ written in bulk letters.

I was opening the door when Chester suddenly shoved me and I fell through the door way, Aiden about to kill him.

"Crap, she's coming. Hide," Aiden hurried me in, slamming the door behind him as he ran off to hide for himself.

My eyes quickly looked around the dressing room. Everything was sapphire blue and crème, right down to the hangers holding up the clothing in the open closet. I heard her platform heels on the stairs, and I jumped into the closet instinctively, hiding in the very edge behind a baby blue maxi dress and a red robe.

"No, Baby, really, I _adore_ it. I know I like blue, but red _really_ suits me. It was_ soo_ sweet for you to get that for me. I know that commitment isn't really your thing, and it you showed that we really have it," someone was talking on their phone, her voice full of Southern Sweetness.

I held my breath, and my heart did a tap dance as the other door to the closet open and she riffled through scarves on the other edge.

She picked up a navy scarf, and she slammed the door again, still talking on her phone.

"Sounds wonderful, Darling. I have to go, I need to be on set. Kiss, kiss," I heard the sounds of make-up moving around on a table, and the walking stopped when I heard the thud of a box opening.

She let out a gasp.

"It's beautiful. I knew Zeus was a better choice than _Matthew_. I don't care if mom doesn't like it," Breanna's voice was smug and full of pride with the conquest of such a powerful lover and such a wonderful gift.

_Found it,_ I smiled to myself.

"Bye, my little rubies, I will see you later," she spoke like she was taking to her child, and the door close, which was followed by the sound of her heels walking out the door and down the stairs.

I hurried out of the closet, and I raced to the navy blue box with Breanna written in sapphires on her desk. I popped the top, and, all alone, there was the ruby necklace. Even I had to stop and marvel. It was unbelievably beautiful…

No wonder both the goddess and Breanna Blue wanted it so much.

I almost felt guilty for putting such a beautiful necklace in my pocket instead of a grand case, but I did it anyway. And I hurried out of the dressing room and kept walking until I found where Chester and Aiden were hiding.

"You got it?"

"Got it."

_**Noah,**_

"They really have chemistry," a screenwriter said, "We should add in a kiss or something."

We had been waiting on Breanna Blue for what felt like an eternity, and I was beginning to wonder if we would even be in this movie or if Charlie would luckily get the necklace and let us leave. For the last twenty minutes, they had been watching me and Kate in our chairs. They tried to keep it a secret, but their thoughts became words soon after.

"When though?" another asked, and I would have blushed. But I had heard it so much that I couldn't even think about it even more. Sam finished up filming and had disappeared with a hot make-up artist soon after. Kate and I were still impatiently waiting, occasionally stopping to talk to each other, though we kept our conversations very bland in front of everyone.

"Well, you know, when they are walking up the stairs to the house."

"It feels kind of forced there."

"Well, we could have like an extra scene maybe of them kissing and close-up on Breanna as she wishes she has something like that."

I wanted to moan at the thought of another scene.

"We could, I guess. But I think we're good."

The other writer shrugged and leaned back in their chair, craning her neck to look for Breanna for the millionth time.

And then her eyes widened.

"She's here."

Kate and I both looked back, and I was shocked.

I didn't see much of Brenna Blue, not reading magazines or watching a whole lot of TV, but I had gone to see her big role with my younger sister, Charlie. She was playing the dark vampire with dark make-up and brooding blue eyes. Her hair had been fashioned mostly in a blonde bun, and she wore leather pants and red shirts against her paled skin. She was more of hot and sexy than beautiful and sweet.

But the transformation was definitely there.

She was in what I assumed was costume, but it was also her usual style as the pictures on some of the magazines laying around suggested. Her blonde hair was perfect and wavy. Her eyes were a piercing and sweet blue, and she had a bubbly but also sexy air to her. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans a glittery white top, a navy blue scarf laying nonchalantly on her neck. And she was smiling wide.

"I am _so_ sorry I'm late. ZuZu just couldn't get off the phone, and what can I say? I am a hopeless romantic, I can't put down the phone!" she smiled wide.

ZuZu.

It felt weird to hear her call the king of the gods _ZuZu_.

She walked over to us, and Kate and I stood.

"Oh my God, you're playin' my little sister! I can feel the sisterly love already!" her voice was full of an accent so sweet it almost hurt your teeth.

"I'm Kate," Kate smiled, and Breanna's eyes moved to me.

"Aren't you that soccer player from New York? My God, you are even hotter in person! The pictures don't do you near enough justice!" she touched my arm, and I recognized the look in her eyes as the flirty look daughter's of Aphrodite had perfected.

I suddenly understood why Kate had been so mesmerized by Apollo's compliments. I felt something strong for Kate, yes. But Breanna was a superstar actress who could have _anyone_ she wanted, even the King of the Gods! And she thought_ I_ was attractive.

"I'm Noah," I smiled back at her.

"I'm Breanna Blue. But call me Bre," she twirled her hair.

Kate trained in on her, and the director quickly broke us up to begin filming.

Breanna seemed to take me under her wing as an apprentice, forgetting about the "sisterly love" she had mentioned earlier with Kate. And Kate watched her, her grey eyes full of fire. I tried to stay out of her stares, though I could feel the daggers without even looking.

It was especially hard when the scene began and Kate and I had to hold hands and act lovey dovey.

Though Kate kept it up, she was squeezing my hand so hard that I almost winced.

"And action!"

Kate and I walked together, pretending to be drunk off each other, which I kind of was, and we walked up the stairs to the bakery that Breanna's character owned.

Breanna walked down the stairs of the bakery and smiled wide at us though the glass. She managaed a little mini run to the door, where she wrapped Kate up in a hug and pulled off a sister who missed her baby sister immensely.

"Oh my God, look at you! It's been forever since I've seen you. When you ran off to California with this little trouble maker!" Breanna smiled at me, and I realized those weren't the lines. She was supposed to ask about the tri. But Kate kept it going anyway.

"I didn't _run off _to California, Ally. I went to college and stayed there," Kate filled her eyes with love and put on a smile.

"Fine, fine, let's catch up anyway."

Kate smiled and nodded, looking back to me.

"Do you mind hanging out alone for a while?"

Since we were all making it up anyway, I shrugged with a smile.

"No, have fun."

Kate smiled, but her eyes quickly filled with a plan, and she kissed my cheek and smiled goodbye before she and Breanna walked out of the camera's view and I walked into the bakery building.

"Cut!"

Breanna and Kate stopped walking towards a park and turned back to the director and the steaming script writers.

"Those weren't your lines, Breanna."

"I was taking creative license. I'm an artist, I feel my character's emotions. I am my character. And that was what my character would have said. And Katy and Noah here carried it off perfectly."

Kate's eyes had gone from the sweet loving sister back to glaring.

"My name is Kate."

The screenwriter looked at the director, silently demanding he make her do it the right way. But the director looked tired of the beautiful starlet and shrugged.

"It worked, Vicky."

"But mine was better!"

"But this will work. That's a wrap, get ready for the next scene."

"That's the last one for me."

"Really" Breanna pouted, "It is?"

"Afraid so."

"But you'll be coming along, right?" Breanna looked back, and Kate's jaw tightened.

"Yeah, Noah's my ride home. So he kind of has to stick around," Kate crossed her arms, and Breanna took notice of her dig, though still being nice.

"Well then come on, Noah," Breanna smiled.

_**Kate,**_

I felt my blood boil as I watched Breanna and Noah together.

Breanna Blue was the perfect girl. She was friendly and full with southern hospitality and a sweet voice that you wanted to hear all the time. She was seemingly humble, and she was definitely good at showing her feelings towards people. And she was beautiful…_absolutely beautiful_…

I found myself squeezing a pencil until it snapped under the pressure and went into my hand, making me let out a girly wimper.

I brushed off the broken pieces, and I straightened my spine, trying my hardest not to look. But it was like a train wreck.

You know not to look. You know it would hurt your heart. And you know that only idiots are the ones to stop and stare near the danger.

But you couldn't help it…

And I particularly couldn't, not now. _Especially_ when it came to Noah.

My eyes stayed glued to the two of them, sitting on a nearby bench. They were in a conversation about who-knows-what, but I doubted it was anything serious or thought provoking because it was with _Breanna_. Her hand kept touching his shoulder, and it made me sick every time she did it. A laugh kept coming out, and even her laughs were beautiful.

I kept trying to think of something to prove to myself that this was nothing. But there was only an age difference of two years, and Noah was a very mature twenty year old. He lived in NY and her in LA, but it could be worked out. And they were both known and loved by teen girls, insanely gorgeous, and perfect…

I tried to memorize my lines as they set up for the scene, our final thing to do, but my eyes couldn't stay on the paper.

Not when she was flipping her hair like that!

My stomach twisted, and I began to wonder if Noah had felt anything like this when it came to Apollo's constant flirting. If he had, I felt immense guilt that almost smothered me.

But, even more, I suddenly felt… inferior.

Yes, Apollo wanted me. But _Zeus_ wanted her. I was pretty, but she was voted one of the prettiest women in Hollywood. I was talented, but mine stayed on my laptop. She was _famous _for her talent

And right now, she had his attention. I did not.

No, I was in a chair holding a script while she was flirting with the guy I had been in love with basically since I was a child.

I suddenly felt that feeling to run away again, to not talk to him But it was so much worse now, I could never pretend to get away from it. I knew I would feel this pounding pain forever, and I didn't want to…

I was farther in, too far in. I couldn't just let go like I wanted to…

"Breanna, we need to get ready to shoot," the director called out, and Breanna said goodbye to Noah before walking her annoying perfect strut towards us.

She even walks perfect…

Jealously flooded me, and I had to keep my eyes on the director.

We already shot a scene of us walking arm-in-arm to a park, and now I had to have the announcement of being engaged and giving her a big speech about love.

_Fun…_

"Are you guys ready?" an assistant asked, and we nodded.

"Alright then, let's get you in place," they began to move us around to wear we were sitting on a bench, Breanna holding a cup of coffee, and they put the engagement ring in the pocket of my jeans.

I mentally reviewed my speech, and Breanna applied another layer of red lipstick and smiled at me.

"And action!"

Breanna smiled like she really was my sister asking about how I was.

"So, are you regretting moving in with Austin yet?" Breanna laughed, "I mean, I know you two like each other a lot and everything, but everyone needs their space. Especially you! God, it was _horrible_ to have to share a bathroom with you when we were kids. You tried to kill me with hairdryer."

I laughed like we were friends and very close.

"You survived!"

"_Barely!_"

I kept laughing.

"Well, it's going well. Really well actually. And I don't like him, Al. I love him."

"You're twenty-five, and you've been with him since you were nineteen. You don't really know what you want, Sara."

"Ally-"

"No, I know you think you love him. But do you really? If he really loves you, he will let you get out there and see what you want."

"But I know what I want!"

"You're so young."

"You are two years older than me, not twenty, Ally."

"I'm not saying that-"

"Ally," I stopped her, "I love this man, we're buying a house! And, well…"

I closed my eyes, and I reached inside my pocket.

"I wanted to tell you in a different way, but…" I slipped on the ring, and she gasped.

"Oh my God, you're engaged!"

I nodded and smiled wide.

It was hard to call upon that love I needed to have in this line about how my character got engaged until I looked at Noah and thought about how I would look if I was telling my sister that he had just proposed to me. And suddenly, it was there.

"It was our anniversary. We were just getting home from dinner, and I found this last box in the closet. And you know how I am wanting to unpack the boxes, and he knew I would be that way. So, I went to the kitchen to open it, and there it was. There were towels on the bottom but red tissue paper on top with this ring box, and I gasped and turned around. And Austin was on one knee! And he asked me to marry him," I wiped away a fake tear.

"That's," Breanna easily passed for the supportive but jealous sister, "amazing, Sara. I didn't realize you two were like that."

She wrapped me up in a hug.

"But, don't take this the wrong way at all, aren't you worried that you are selling your life too short? That you would miss out on all these opportunities and really grow your career and everything? Marriage is a big step, its settling down."

"I mean, yeah, we're settling down, but it's not like we are going to suddenly become middle aged people who hate their life. I love him, and he loves me. And I _want_ to marry him, I really do. I don't want to put love on hold so that I can do other stuff, I want him with me."

I looked to Noah again.

"I fell in love with my best friend. I know everything about him, and I still love him. I have seen him at his worst, but I still adore him."

My eyes focused in on Breanna again.

"Honestly, are you telling me that I should give that up so I can have the single life you have?"

Breanna hesitated and shook her head.

"Wow…. I really didn't know you loved him like that."

"You've never really asked. You always assumed he was just that guy I was dating because I didn't want to be alone."

"I didn't think that!"

"Please, you used to always tell me that I shouldn't fear life alone and cling to Austin for support."

"Fine, I did think that a _little_."

Breanna pouted.

"Oh God, you aren't having the pity thing where you feel bad because you're younger sister is getting married first, right? I will stick you at the single's table if you do that."

"No, no, it's just…" Breanna looked to the side, "Do you think I push people away?"

I nodded.

"You're afraid to be in love with someone because you are afraid of hurt."

I took a breath.

"After dad left and married Sandy in Florida, we lived with mom, and you had to watch her cope through that pain. She had given up the possibility of a career to marry him right out of college, and you were afraid to end up like her…"

"I just, I think I found the guy and may have screwed things up."

"It's never too late, Ally."

Breanna smiled and nodded.

"I gotta go make this right. Do you mind going back to the house alone?"

"No, go ahead."

Breanna hugged me, and she was off to have the big confrontation with the male lead.

"And cut!"

The director declared that it was perfect, and Breanna pouted, wanting to have Noah around for more. She made him promise that he would meet her for coffee when she was in New York next month, and Noah made the promise with a smile, which still made my blood boil.

She kissed his cheek, and it wasn't long before she was off for make-up for another scene.

A few assistants and interns bid us farewell, and I had never been more excited to get out of someplace in my life. Noah and I were about to split up to go find Charlie and the others, but we found the four others from our party waiting for us by the gate.

"How'd it go?" Charlie asked.

"Well, it's no classic, but it was okay. How'd it go with you?" I answered before Noah could start on about Breanna Blue. I knew he would talk about it with Sam and that it would be more perverted than I would like to think, but I refused to hear it.

"We got the necklace," Charlie smiled wide.

_**So shooting is filming. And Kate got jealous of Breanna.**_

_**And no kissing scene. There was going to be one, but it didn't happen.**_

_**Big news. Best Buy screwed up my paperwork, so I had to add another week to when I could get my laptop back. I went to Literary Meet and entered Essay, which I got disqualified from I think because they had a strict word limit I didn't know about and probably went over. And the girl who won kept looking at my paper, so I was kind of pissed. And the day in a confined space with George brought some feelings back, though I can't tell if it is just memories of how I used to feel instead of big feelings now. I mean, I did have a huge crush on him. But whatever, I need to sleep because I have Gym and a bunch of tests tomorrow.**_

_**Hope you liked the chapter.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Charlie,**_

"No, you should go, Kate. She _likes_ you. She _hates_ me," I begged, sounding like I was five years old again and desperately wanting to keep playing instead of having to get washed and dressed for dinner. Because I had been surrounded by older people in this journey, I had been acting maturely. I had been older, if anything to prove that I wasn't the child my brother saw me as.

But I felt myself taking a million steps backwards.

When it came to Hera though, I didn't care.

I luckily did not have much of a reason to hate the goddess as my mother did, but her hatred to my parents was enough for me. She was never partial to me, but I was afraid to risk her hating me. I knew she would never make things easy for me.

"She does not _hate_ you, Charlie. Besides, you found it. Take the chance to get brownie points," Kate crossed her arms.

I could see I wasn't going to win with her, so I turned to someone else.

"Noah? What do you think?" I asked.

Noah's eyes widened, and he looked blindsided.

He looked between Kate and me as we both silently begged him to take our side.

I understood his problem and why he was panicking. We were his girls. I was his little baby, the sister he adored. Kate was the girl he had been not-so-secretly in love with for years. And he wasn't sure which one to choose or which one would be angrier when he _didn't_ choose them.

"Yeah, Noah, what _do_ you think? Shouldn't Charlie take the necklace to Hera? She did get it after all," Kate's grey eyes narrowed in on him, and I knew he was a sucker for whatever Kate wanted. But I was also his little baby girl, and I knew that would have to give me _something_.

I looked up to his crystal blue eyes, knowing he was also sucker for my sea green eyes, and I pulled on the best little kid's pouty face I could possibly manage without laughing at myself. I had to call on old memories of every tactic that had worked on him for so many years.

"Well… uh, I don't know. I really think you guys should decide," he nervously ruffled his hair, and everyone's eyes stayed glued to us.

I fought back quickly.

"But Hera doesn't like me. She doesn't like our parents, and I am the daughter of the girl who she hates so much. She made Mom's pregnancy as horrible as she could, and it's only a matter of time before she hates me, too. But she _does _like Kate."

"But this was _your_ mission, Charlie. You _found _it, you're _carrying _it _right now_."

"Here, take it. I don't want it," I pulled out the beautiful, priceless ruby necklace, and I found myself making sure that the delicate jewelry was protected, "You give it to Hera."

"No, you take it," Kate told me, her grey eyes watching me like a hawk. We were both used to being stubborn enough to get what we wanted.

"She likes you!" I shoved it towards her.

"Well, I don't like _her_," she shoved it back, getting irritated now.

"Well, she _already_ hates me," I pushed it in her direction.

"Well, I don't want her to hate _me,_" it kept going, getting worse each time.

"Well, I don't care."

I heard the metal chime as I pushed it towards her faster.

"Well, I'm older."

The ruby felt like it was going to cut me as she shoved it back to me.

"Well, I have more life to live then."

My grip tightened on the necklace to push it towards her, the hard gems and metal digging into my skin.

"Well-"

Aiden jumped up from the bench where all of the boys had been sitting and watching, deathly afraid of what might come next. The line of wide stares and the pitiful looks for Noah was broken

"If you keep fighting like this, there won't be a necklace to give back," Aiden jumped in, and Kate and I both quickly stopped, though neither of us would still really take it.

Kate and I looked at each other, watching each other carefully as we refused to back down. Usually, we were together on everything. We were fought for each other's point, usually Kate defending my choice against Noah who wanted me to stay a kid. But, every now and then, we did butt heads.

And it never turned out well.

Last time, it ended with a few pipes broken from my anger controlling the water in them, voices hoarse from yelling, and everyone stopping to stare at us for the next few months with feat of a new fight.

And I didn't want to see where it would go now.

"Fine, let's do it the only way we can agree," Kate crossed her arms.

"You're kidding, right?" I almost blushed, thinking about our usual way to agree on things.

"Come on," she put her hand out straight and prepared to play rock paper scissors.

I grimaced but put out my hands, too.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot," Kate put out paper, and I put rock.

I moaned.

"Sorry, Shorty," she clapped on my back, laughing.

I put the necklace in my jean pockets, and I took a deep breath as I looked to Aiden to ask where we were supposed to go. But he seemed to anticipate my question and answered it without me even needing to ask.

I had to admit that I loved that about him. While I never really seemed to know what _he_ was thinking about, he always seemed to know what I was thinking about like no one had ever known before. And we had only known each other for a few days…

"It would be better to keep it just you two," Sam told us before Chester could start to get up, and Aiden nodded, trying to mask his happiness.

I wasn't sure if he thought I didn't know that he hated Chester or if he just tried to be nice about it, but you could see it a mile away. I wasn't sure exactly what made him hate him, but it was strong whatever it was.

"Let's go, Charlie," Aiden nodded, and I followed after him as we walked through the city to get to the place Hera had left instructions to go through an assistant who was working in the movie.

As Aiden and I walked, there was silence. Not an awkward silence but just a silence. It didn't hurt to hear, and there wasn't a real need to break it.

"So, you said Hera hates your mother?" Aiden broke the silence, looking to me as we took a turn.

I nodded.

"My mom, Annabeth, said something to her years ago. She insulted her in such a way that Hera never forgave her. She tried to hurt her at every chance. Hera slowly let her hatred sooth until she got pregnant with me. First, she made my mother think that she had hidden the pregnancy for so long that it was her ex's, not my father's. Then, she took away the birthright of descendants of Athena to have peaceful pregnancy. And then she made labor so horrible that doctors look back and think it was a miracle my mother survived," I told him, something boiling in me as I thought about how Hera had been to my mother.

"I thought your parents had been together since they were sixteen."

I realized that Aiden hadn't heard the renowned story of my parents, and I decided to tell it.

"Well, not exactly," I smiled, "My parents were completely in love since they were sixteen. They moved in together after college, and my dad was planning on proposing. But then they had a fight, and my mom moved out for a month. My dad went out to drown away the sorrows, and he ran into an equally drunk old friend, Noah's mom. Can you see where its going?" I laughed.

"Yeah, I get it," he laughed with me.

"Well, after that, my parents got back together, and, suddenly, my dad got a call from his old friend with the results of a pregnancy test. My dad was ashamed, so he left. My mom never knew what happened, so she ran away to California, her home. My dad stayed in New York, and he raised Noah. Six years later, my mom showed up back in New York, and my uncle _'accidentally'_ made sure she moved into a place right beside my dad. There was a lot of stuff in between, but, in the end, my parents got engaged. They got pregnant with me, and they got married."

Aiden nodded.

"They have a pretty good story."

"They do," I nodded with a small smile.

I missed my parents, and I still worried I would never get home to see them.

"You're pretty close to your parents, aren't you?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah, I am. Are you?" I asked.

"Close to my parents?"

Aiden hesitated.

Before he could answer, we found that we were at the meeting place, a small little coffee shop. I would have let him have time to answer my question, but we found that she was already there, sipping at an iced coffee and reading a book.

My spine straightened, and Aiden gave me a comforting glance as we walked into the coffee shop.

We both walked up to the goddess, and I almost faltered when her amber eyes looked up to us, so cruel and so intimidating. Her lips pursed, and she put down her book as she motioned for us to sit down across from her at the table.

We did, and she leaned into the table.

"Do you have it?"

I reached into my pocket, and I pulled out the priceless ruby necklace, gently handing it over to her.

Hera smiled wide, and she put the necklace gently on her neck, her smile widening the entire time.

"Thank you, young heroes," she continued to smile at us.

I was about to stand and leave when Hera spoke again.

"As for the rest of your quest," her face went back to business, and my stomach twisted, "you are going to LA, are you not?"

I prayed she wouldn't make us to another errand for her.

"Yes, we are, Your Majesty," Aiden replied.

"Your Majesty. You Romans have always been gifted with flattery, a trait I wish _the Greeks_ had gotten as well," Hera continued, "You are a good friend for the journey, young boy. Juno highly treasures you, and I see why. But are you sure you want to risk your life, so promising and full of a future of power for you, for this quest? I can take you home, Aiden."

Aiden looked to me, and he shook his head.

"I made a promise, and I will keep it, My Lady."

"Very well," Hera sighed, and she looked at both of us now instead of just him.

"You need to leave here before they notice that the necklace is gone and wonder if it is you. But you can't go on to California, not yet. You are not ready yet," her gaze lingered on me, "From here, go to Hermes in Los Vegas. He He has something you need."

Hera stood.

"Good luck on your journey, and take this," she reached inside of her purse and brought out a necklace with a single purple stone in the center, handing it to me, and she handed a card to Aiden, "And this is the address where you will find Hermes."

I took the necklace, and Aiden took the card from her as well. Hera's eyes turned back to me, she looked at me with such pity, like she knew I was never going to go home.

"I do not like your parents," Hera told me, "But do not think that I against you for this."

I nodded, though I wasn't sure I believed her. But I wanted to. I wanted to believe that eons of a horrible marriage that was formed in the worst of possible ways, disappointing children, never the possibility of heroes to fight for her own causes, and having to be in charge of so many childish gods had formed her into such a cruel woman but that she was still able to be kind and love people.

After all, she stood for the institution of love, for the part that came after Aphrodite had her sweet soap opera.

Hera turned to leave, and that was the last we saw of the goddess.

I looked back to Aiden, and he smiled weakly.

"On to Vegas."

_**Noah,**_

As soon as Aiden and Charlie got back from taking the necklace to Hera, we followed the instructions from the goddess, and we set off for Los Vegas, an eight hour drive. It was about four or so when we got on the road, and it was hard to navigate through traffic, though it might have just been how antsy we all were to get out of town before Brenna was finished shooting for the day and would go back to her dressing room to get ready for her date with Zeus.

I doubted she would blame _me_. Kate maybe. And the staff would probably tell her about a cousin, Aiden Blue, from England who was also an actor.

Of course, I knew that it would most likely boil down to another story, probably whatever would be most dramatic for the media. She might blame employees or create a story of a jealous fellow actress trying to hurt her. Zeus, happy that it was back to his wife so he wouldn't have to hear it but that he didn't have to take the blame, would undoubtedly spoil her with other gifts.

It was hard sometimes to remember that Breanna Blue was taken in what she called a _"serious relationship"_ on the phone with Zeus, King of the Gods. While I wasn't married or known for cheating, I was no Zeus, even if she was flirting with me.

I wasn't actually taking it serious. If she did continue to pursue me in New York, it would have ended up as a relationship. Something my career would have benefited from, and maybe her career would, too. But, when the beauty and flirting faded, it would fade as well. And it would serve as memories and photos in magazines.

But it was still a great compliment to have a famous woman who could have any man (and any _god_) was flirting with me.

It wasn't such a compliment that it hurt to drive away or anything.

I did notice that Kate loved driving away though.

Her spirits lifted with every minute we got further and further from Breanna.

She hadn't liked Breanna, but I didn't know she hated him so much. I couldn't tell if she just didn't like her as she said or if it was something greater. If it was a little green monster…

I remembered how much I had hated Apollo when we were last with him and he pursued Kate so much. I didn't think I could be so happy as when we drove away from his home in Charleston. And it seemed awfully familiar to look at her and see the way she was acting.

Throughout the drive, seats kept changing.

First, Sam drove. And I sat in front while Kate and Chester sat in the backseat and Aiden and Charlie in the very back. Then it was me driving, Kate and Charlie together, and the Aiden and Chester awkwardly together. That didn't last long, and Aiden quickly offered to drive, even though that meant Charlie and Chester together.

That didn't last long either though.

Not too far into the night, we got Aiden to stop for us at a hotel, though Sam was adamantly against it of course. But Aiden was in charge of the car, and we stopped.

I was nervous about stopping at a hotel, even if working all day and driving off in fear of someone chasing after us had me worried. The last time we stopped in a hotel, it didn't turn out well. Rock men tried to take my sister, Charlie, to someone who had been trying to kill her since she was seven. They put me and Kate in a prison made of rock with Chester. And my little sister, who was _thirteen_, had to _save _Kate and _me_ after I had spent my life saving her.

I worried that my baby sister might not be able to do it next time.

I knew she wasn't my _"baby sister"_ anymore.

I was grown up. I lived on my own (well, almost since I had a roommate and my mom often checked in). I had my dream job that paid well, and I was a young adult.

And Charlie was growing up to. This was her last year of middle school, and she was a mature thirteen. She wasn't being stupid like everyone else in her class. She kept up her grades, and she held extracurricular activities as well. She was already taking on a prophecy, and she was handling it well, especially for her age.

Thirteen wasn't young, but it was young for such a large prophecy.

"I'll park the car," I offered, "And bring in the stuff. You guys go on in."

Everyone nodded, and Kate, who had been watching my face slowly pale since we had all agreed to stop and get a hotel room, quickly spoke up.

"I'll help."

I was about to say it wasn't needed, but Kate gave me a warning look that it wouldn't work no matter what I said.

So, everyone else piled out, and I switched to the front seat with Kate.

An awkward silence filled the air, and I could feel Kate's grey eyes glued to me, silently begging for me to tell her what was wrong. But I pretended I didn't notice and watched for open spaces in the parking lot like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Finally, when we had parked and stopped to get the bags out of the car, Kate spoke.

"You're shaking, Noah."

I looked to her, and I frowned, knowing this was going to lead to me having to tell her why I was upset.

"That's weird. Its kinda chilly though."

"It's _hot_."

"Maybe I have the flu or something," I tried, and Kate raised her eyebrows. I turned back to the bags.

"Is this the _Worrying Brother_ flu?"

Despite myself, I looked back to Kate. begin,

"She's thirteen, not _three_, Kate. I… I don't need to worry about her," I tried, but I heard the weakness in my voice without needing her to point it out.

Kate laughed, and she rolled her eyes at me, pulling herself to sit on the edge inside the trunk.

"When has _that_ ever stopped you?"

I sat down beside Kate, and I tried to think of a way to begin. But I couldn't think of where I _could_ begin, let alone where I _should_. It felt like everything was crashing on me at the same time. I was being forced to see my baby sister wasn't a baby. Everyone I held truly dear could die on this quest, and everyone thought Charlie would. Kate was beside me, and my love for her kept growing but she saw me more and more as a friend. And, even more, I had to sit here while two guys tried to fight over my _baby sister_!

"So, what's up?"

My mouth opened, but so many words rushed to my mind I couldn't pick them out.

"I could go get ice cream, that's like a truth serum with you," Kate nudged me.

"_That_ isn't the truth serum, Katy-Cat. It's the fact that you always showed up with it when it was night, which makes me talk more, or you do it when I really need to talk," I smirked.

"So you just _want_ to tell me stuff," Kate smirked, nudging me.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, what is it, Noah?"

"The last time we were in a hotel, rock men tried to take Charlie to a woman who wants to kill her. They kept us in a rock prison with Chester. And Charlie had to save us. What if she can't do that next time?" I crossed my arms, and I suddenly couldn't stop now that I had started, "And, right now we are on a quest were all of the people I love could die. Charlie is most likely _going _to die. A-And, with every minute that goes by, every mile we drive, every adventure we face, we are getting closer. This fear has been building up since the day Charlie was born, and it is just being released in the course of a few days. In a few minutes, our world changed…"

That was exactly it.

When the rock men tried to first take Charlie, that was the beginning of everything.

Suddenly, Kate was back in my life, and that was slowly killing me but also made me feel like I was finally alive again. My feelings for Kate, my best friend's _little sister_, were being stirred up and felt stronger than ever. The little girl playing with MeMo suddenly disappeared and showed a grown-up girl who was stronger than I could have ever imagined. And rules just suddenly fell apart.

"I'm not sure it changed as much as our view of it changed. We just finally noticed it…" Kate looked out to the sky, and I wondered if she even realized how much I was completely and pathetically in love with her.

Would she ever notice it or keep a blind eye?

"So, now that we are talking, what's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Kate looked back to me.

"We were out of touch for so long, you say I didn't miss anything. But I basically missed your senior year and your freshman year of college," I turned to where we were looking at each other, "I had to miss _something._"

"What can I say?" Kate smiled, "I'm lame."

"That's not what the yearbook said about you in your senior year, Charlie showed me that you were in basically every picture," I smirked.

"You remember that?"

I tried not to blush.

"Charlie talked about it for a while."

Kate nodded and shrugged.

"Well, I don't know. I did stuff, I guess. I went to parties, dated a few guys. But nothing really jumps out as being important that you wouldn't know about."

"How about stuff unimportant?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Tell me about annoying professors. Are you going to stay in dorms next year? Uh…" I tried to play it casual as I asked the last question, "Are you dating anyone?"

Kate looked shocked that I asked, but she tried not to look it.

"Well, Professor Jennings is unbearable. He never gives us enough time to finish stuff and do it well, and he complains that we are lazy and that our projects looked like fifth grader's did them. I like the dorms, but my dorm next year is known for being full of crazy parties on the third floor, which is where they say I would be. So I haven't completely decided. And…" Kate pushed her hair behind her ear, "I'm not dating anyone. I-I was, a while ago. But we broke up two months ago, and it wasn't really serious or anything."

I nodded, and Kate nervously bit her lip.

"A-Are you?" she nervously asked.

"Dating someone?"

Kate nodded.

"No, no. Not really in a while. I mean, there have been a few dates I guess, but it never turns into anything serious."

Kate almost looked relieved, but I couldn't tell.

I knew I was…

"We better get back to the hotel before Sam gets angry," Kate stood, and I nodded.

_**Kate,**_

I pulled the blanket a little closer to Charlie, and I kissed the top of her head as she snored lightly.

I had called first shower, and I felt like I desperately needed. While I liked how the hair and make-up crews made me look, I also felt like I was wearing a second skin. After a while, I just wanted my make-up and hair products out, and I took my time in the shower making sure I was cleansed of the beautifying chemicals.

When I came out of the bathroom to get dressed, I found Charlie asleep on the bed. She had fallen asleep waiting for me, and I put the asleep girl under the covers and let her sleep. I was careful as I got ready afterwards, trying not to make much noise.

I slid into the other bed quietly, and I tried to sleep. I had a _long_ day. It started by waking up in a stone prison with Noah trying to comfort me, and that turned into exploring caverns with a son of Pluto. That turned into a long drive that was suddenly interrupted by Hera, who teleported us to Albuquerque. There, she wanted us to steal a necklace that her husband gave to his mistress, and we had to pose as actors to get in. I had to act in a movie and pretend like I loved a woman I couldn't stand and who kept flirting with Noah. From there, I had to fight with Charlie about who had to take the necklace to Hera. When she let us go, she announced we had to go Las Vegas, and we had another long drive that was stopped by going to a hotel. And, at the hotel, I had a talk with Noah about what was wrong with him, how my life was, and if we were both single.

You would think I would pass out just like Charlie.

But my mind was racing, focusing on Noah.

I kept feeling how horrible it felt when Breanna was flirting with Noah and how he didn't stop her, how it felt like someone stabbing my heart with each flip of the hair and flirty smile. I felt the rush of sitting beside him for so long. I felt the sweet sensation of being with him again, talking to him and knowing he trusted me like no one else. And I also felt the constant pain of the fact that I would always be his best friend, or worse, _his best friend's little sister_.

It got so bad that I could see his face in the darkness of the ceiling.

I couldn't take it, and I got up.

As I checked on Charlie, I thought back to my laptop in my bag.

After making sure she was okay, I hurried to my bag, and I carefully got the computer out and made sure I wouldn't make any noise as I turned it on.

I logged onto the hotel's wifi, and I opened a new IM.

**PixarRules4: Hey, you up?**

I waited for what felt like a lifetime, and I was about to give up hope and log off when I got a reply.

**SoccerBoy18: Yeah, I can't sleep. How about you?**

**PixarRules4: Same, it's been a long day.**

**SoccerBoy18: That's the understatement of the century. I feel like I just crammed a month into one day. You'd think that I would want to just pass out as soon as I hit the pillow, but no. Can't sleep. Can't stop thinking.**

**PixarRules4: I knew that Green would be on my mind because we are on this trip together, but he's on my mind more than ever before. Not seeing him for so long should have made me stop liking him so much, it should have dulled it, right? But, instead, it feels like it just keeps getting stronger and stronger.**

**SoccerBoy18: I know, right?! Every day that passes, it turns less and less of a crush and more and more of actual love. It's not just being close and suddenly not seeing Dianna anymore.**

I bit my tongue, and I sighed as I began to type.

**PixarRules4: I am starting to think that I am never going to get over it, that I am stuck feeling this way forever.**

I pressed send, and I tried to imagine my life from this moment on. Could I ever really be happy?

I could do everything right. I could have an amazing career, do everything I want to do. I could make great friends. I could find the perfect guy for me, and I could go on to have wonderful adorable children. But I could I really be happy without Noah?

If Aunt Annabeth proved anything, it was that love trumps all. She had what looked like the perfect life. She had achieved her dream of owning the most successful and well-known architectural companies in the world. She had great friends. She went to all of the exclusive and prestigious events. She was engaged to the perfect man. But she didn't have love. Her love was in New York City, far away from the life she built trying to get away from him.

In the end, she couldn't be happy without him though. She was lucky that he still loved her and that he had felt the same way without her. They went on to get married, raise a wonderful son, and have a daughter of their own.

But would I get the happy ending like Aunt Annabeth?

**SoccerGuy18: I wonder if I can ever truly be happy without her. I thought I could, but I was talking to her today. And I realized how much I loved her, how much I needed her in my life.**

**PixarRules4: I guess we can just hope…**

* * *

So, big chapter. Sorry it took so long, but a lot has been happening including a virus being sent from my email address. And I hope I did make up for it with the length.

What did you think of Kate and Noah asking if the other is single in the parking lot? And Aiden and Charlie talking on the way to see Hera?

And what will happen in Vegas?

You'll just have to keep reading to find out.

;-D HAWTgeek


	18. The Lucky Coin

_**Charlie,**_

As we got out of the car and the valet took the car to park it, I looked up at the Las Vegas casino that we had been sent to. _The Lucky Coin_ stood proudly, modern and sleek. The building was a mixture of black and regular glass, and it all reflected the sun towards us, making me put on my sun glasses. The sign took pride as _The Lucky Coin_ was printed in black in the center of a giant golden coin. Even down here, I could see it was a drachma.

It seemed like the kind of place that someone like Apollo would have a penthouse or maybe even Aphrodite, not Hermes. I didn't think Hermes stayed in one place long enough to want to get a penthouse in a hotel, but he did.

And now we had to meet him.

With Noah leading the way, we started through the busy hotel, and Sam smiled wide as we walked through, picking up a drink from a pretty woman carrying a tray of drinks through the lobby. He relaxed, and he looked over the beautiful women and the door to the casino and club.

"Why didn't we come here first?" Sam smiled a wicked smile, "This is my kind of place."

"Grow up, Sam," Kate rolled her eyes at her older brother.

It was often hard to remember that Sam was the eldest by two years in their family. Over the years, they grew up in very different ways. Kate grew mature fast, and Sam was mature in some ways though he mainly just wanted to enjoy his life of being young, well-off, doing what he loves, and hot. It was an easy life to enjoy, but sometimes we thought he enjoyed it too much.

By the time he was graduating high school, Kate might as well have been the eldest and Sam the immature young child.

"How about you young down, Katy-Cat? You're only young once. Have fun while you still can. Follow my example. I am enjoying these resources while I still have them," Sam winked at a passing girl, and she blushed.

Sam had an effect on women that could never be explained. He was the human version of kryptonite to women. You knew he was going to love and leave you, but he made it look so appealing. His devilish smile and fun antics pulled you in, and his sweet and secretly serious side kept you. When you looked at him, you knew you had found a true amazement. But he just wanted fun, and you found yourself on the curb before long.

I understood this, though I wish I didn't.

And I knew that, if there wasn't such an age difference, I might have felt something for my cousin.

But there was an age difference, and I simply understood how women got roped in by him, not being roped in myself though.

It was odd though. To me, Noah was more appealing. They were both handsome in different ways, but most considered Noah cuter. He wasn't as wild or fun, but he was fun and definitely funny. He was sweet while not being too mushy, and he was smart and could be serious without being boring.

But Noah's heart had always belonged to Kate, and he had never to put it out there when it wasn't his to give away. And women seemed to know that.

Kate opened her mouth to say something back to her older brother when a young woman approached us.

She wasn't like the silent and seductive waitresses or the flirty and wild party girls. She wasn't a marveling tourist or a perky employee. No, there was something else about her. I began to wonder if she was a small, lower goddess. I knew she wasn't a high up goddess, but she wasn't a _mortal._

She put her hand on her hip as she looked through us, her dark brown eyes darting between us, and she gave us each an once-over. She didn't look dissatisfied with us, but she didn't look impressed either. It was clear that she didn't exactly like doing this chore of finding us.

The woman was beautiful. She had long brown hair that was in perfect waves and was without a single flaw. Her features were pretty but also serious. And she wore a full-length sparkling black gown that draped around her like a toga, which felt odd at noon in the hot summer. She seemed fine though, and that was all that mattered I supposed.

"You're Charlie Jackson, aren't you?" her eyes fixed on me.

My spine stiffened, and my stomach twisted.

Noah's hand inconspicuously moved to his pocket, where I knew he kept his favorite weapon, a little toy that Chiron turned into a weapon for him. Noah used to play with a little toy sword, and, when he was twelve, Chiron made it a real sword.

"Yes," my own hand moved to my dagger in my back pocket.

"Good, you're expected. You _almost_ kept him waiting."

She flipped her hair, and she turned around, walking in the other direction. We had to struggle to catch up to her, not that she seemed to care, and all of the employees watched her with awe and fear, letting me know even more that she was important.

The woman walked into the elevator, which was big enough to carry us all without having to stand too near to her.

She pressed the button and put in her key for the penthouse, and we rode up in silence.

But then Sam opened his mouth.

"I'm Sam," he smiled at the woman, and she looked back at him, not having the usual smile women did when they looked at him, "May I ask your name?"

I knew this line, it was the one he used most of all.

He would ask a girl's. It could be absolutely anything, the weirdest name ever, but he would simply smile and say, "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

He had created the line when he was in high school, and he had used it ever since.

"You just did."

The woman shrugged at him, and Sam look a little disappointed that this wasn't playing out like he wanted.

"You couldn't _pronounce_ it either. So for you _Americans_, I changed my name to Angelique, daughter of Hermes and Photreppa, the minor goddess of photography. I _am_ a _goddess_," Angelique flipped her hair off her shoulder, and crossed her arms, "Not a servant. But my dad seems to think I am. I had _plans_ for this week, you know. But Father wanted me to visit him, and now I have to pick up his little friends."

She pouted, and I stared at her.

_A_ _goddess wanted me to feel sorry for her because she had to take a few moments out of her immortal life to come and meet us?_

She turned back to Noah and smiled wide at him, and Kate did her best not to look pissed. But it was a tall order. Angelique seemed to get the hint, and her eyes drifted over to Aiden.

"You're Aiden Cinna, right?" her smile turned flirty.

His last name is _Cinna_?

I suddenly realized that I never asked his last name….

"Yes, my lady."

"I hear you are on your way to being Praetor of New Rome, that's an amazing achievement," she bit her lower lip, and I stared at her, suddenly realizing how hard it is for Kate not to look mad.

"Thank you, one can dream," Aiden politely answered.

Romans were taught a very strict set of rules when it came to gods, even if they were minor, and he was following them by being polite and not stirring things up.

And I had never been so mad at him before…

"You know, I dated someone from New Rome a few years ago. Maybe you know him. Andrew Langdale, son of Venus."

"Yes, I know him. He's my cousin actually."

"Really?" Angelique twirled his hair, and I felt like I was going to puke.

Finally, the elevator stopped, and the door open. Angelique stayed close to Aiden as she led us into the penthouse.

Angelique lead us past statues, old relics, and architecture that would make my mother stop and marvel at the perfect combination of urban modern and ancient Greece. Though architecture had never been my thing, even I had to stop and notice everything.

There was no way this could be anything but a god's home.

"Father says that he wanted to represent the gods with his primary home, modern and up-to-date but still traditional and ancient," Angelique smiled, looking around the place, and her eyes moved back to Aiden, "What do you think, Aiden?"

As Angelique and Aiden began to talk about how New Rome, Aiden's home, was very similar, I felt my blood boil and my stomach twist. I wasn't sure if I was angry or disgusted, but I wanted to throw up either way.

"So, Aiden's hitting on a goddess, I expected that more from Sam," Chester whispered, and I found myself letting out a whisper-laugh, and my mind got taken off Aiden and Angelique at least for a minute or two.

"Come on, don't you ever feel like just hitting on a goddess?" I smirked.

"Oh yeah, all the time. It always goes the same way though."

I looked at him for him to continue.

"I hit on her hard. She _hits me_ hard."

I laughed, louder than I meant to, and Angelique looked back at me like I was insane, which just made me laugh more.

Chester smirked that I kept laughing, and I elbowed him.

"Oh, Daddy?" Angelique pulled us into an office where I heard a familiar voice talking on the phone.

"No, no! The _roses_ were supposed to go to her _weekend house_! Yes, it's a bloody big problem! The flowers are from Apollo with a key to have her go to with him! You just sent that key and the note talking about how much '_fun'_ they had last time to a house where her _husband_ lives as well! Fix it, now!" Hermes yelled in the phone, and he let out an exasperated sigh.

Angelique kept walking towards the room where the voice was from, pushing open a door without even knocking.

"Daddy, I'm here."

Hermes looked up from his desk, and his smiled wide.

"You're here."

_**Kate,**_

As servants rushed around filling up glasses as we waited for them to finish lunch, Hermes continued on with a story of an incompetent employ, Herald, who just sent a bouquet of amazing roses from Apollo to Aphrodite's home in Olympus and how it was currently a race against the clock to get the roses back and deliver them to Aphrodite's home in Santa Barbara, where she had been staying for the last week, before Hephaestus saw them and found out about her affair.

When we got here, he was on the phone with him, and he seemed to forget about his work troubles to welcome us grandly. As soon as he found out we hadn't eaten yet, he ushered us into the grand dinning room, and he motioned for lunch to be served.

Angelique was sitting beside her father, making sure that Aiden sat beside her, and Charlie sat beside him. At first, Charlie had been glaring at the two of them, not that Aiden could help the fact that Angelique took an interest in him, and she spoke to Chester, which made Aiden look like he might be sick. Across from Angelique, her other interest, Noah sat next to Hermes, and I sat beside him.

I didn't hate Angelique as I had hated Breanna, but I found myself making my claim a little clearer so we wouldn't get to the point I got with Breanna. I knew that he wasn't mine and that he probably never would be, and I knew someone else would have him instead of me. But I didn't want to have to see it.

Angelique got the message easily, and she moved on to Aiden.

Aiden didn't like her, but he was polite. And he had been taught a staunch respect for all gods.

But I kept noticing that, when Angelique wasn't looking, he kept looking back at Chester and Charlie.

They were something I will admit.

They could barely speak, almost forgetting about the other. But, as soon as they did speak, it was there again. They got along perfectly…

"But, what can I say? I will just have to fire him tomorrow. But let's talk about something happier. I hear you two have been talking to teams in Europe," Hermes looked to Sam and Noah, and I stopped breathing.

"Yes, Sir," Sam smiled proudly, "Manchester United is our number one choice, of course."

I swallowed heavily as I tried to think about Noah living on a different continent.

"And I hear they are particularly interested in you, Noah. You are known for bringing up the New York Team."

My stomach twisted.

"Well, I hope they are."

Hermes turned his attention to me.

"And, dear Kate, what are you interested? I remember you as a very well-rounded child, what did you ever decide on?" Hermes smiled.

"I am very interested in being a playwright," I pushed my hair behind my ear.

"Really?"

Hermes looked like he would have continued this conversation, but I could see Angelique getting tired of not being in the conversation.

"I heard the three of you were just in a movie with Breanna Blue. What brings you here now?" she took a sip of wine, and Noah answered for us.

"We are here on a quest, Hera told us that we should see you, Hermes."

"Let's not discuss business now. We're in Vegas, and I want you all to stay as my house guests. You should really enjoy Vegas while you can. Angelique," Hermes turned to his daughter, "You should take Kate and Charlie shopping. You know all the best places."

Angelique made a face, and I was pretty sure I was making the same one. Charlie looked like she might growl at the thought.

"But-" Angelique began, and Hermes looked at her dead on, making her stop, "of course, Father."

Hermes smiled.

"And I can take you guys out," he turned to Noah and Sam.

The boys didn't look so happy either.

"And you guys should all come out with me tonight. The club here is amazing."

I began to wish we could go ahead and get the drinking under way to survive a day of shopping with Angelique.

"The club is to _die for_," Angelique smiled at Aiden, twirling her hair.

Charlie's green eyes shot daggers at Angelique, and Aiden swallowed heavily.

Before, he hadn't been flirting with her, but he had seemed to enjoy her attention to some extent.

Now it seemed to be freaking him out…

"I'm afraid I'm only fifteen."

"Well, we can work out something for the underage kids, I'm sure. Vegas is fun for all ages."

Hermes seemed a bit determined that we should stay and have fun in his current home city.

I had never really known Hermes. I met him once or twice as a child, and maybe once when I was on a quest. But I never helped him with anything or really spoke to him. I never knew his character, but I was a little shocked by this.

From what I had seen, he was all business.

He worked all day long, he was a slave to his phone. He was a trickster and was known for his thievery.

And now he seemed to be fatherly, trying to spend time with his daughter and us as well, but he still had a playful glint in his eyes.

"Oh marvelous!" Hermes smiled as dinner was served, each of us getting our favorite dishes.

I smiled at the smell, and everyone at the table had a big smile as food was delivered.

"And of course, the offering to the gods," Hermes snapped his fingers, and a fire appeared in the middle of the table.

We all threw in a bite of our food, and I began to pray.

Usually, my prayers were to gods of success, love, marriage, or art.

But today, I found my prayers being directed to the fates.

_Oh, Divine Fates, let us survive this prophecy,_ I prayed, and I found myself adding another part, _And let us survive shopping with Angelique…_

_**I decided to go ahead and show shopping with Angelique instead of Noah hanging out with Hermes and the guys.**_

_**Charlie,**_

"Here," Angelique gave Kate and me each a credit card, annoyed that she was stuck babysitting us.

After lunch, servants showed us each to our rooms in the penthouse, and we got time to freshen up before going out. I changed out of my shorts and tee shirt, and I put on a dress that Apollo had given me. The boys all took showers, and I went to Kate room while she changed so there would be no chance of having to see Aiden.

I wasn't sure why I was so angry at Aiden, but I just knew I didn't want to see him and have to think about it.

But I was stuck going shopping with Angelique, so I had to remember it whether I wanted to or not.

When the boys were safely gone, Kate and I moved to the living room to wait on Angelique. She took forever, and we found out why when she got out of the bathroom. She had pulled her hair into a complicated bun, completely re-did her make-up, and she changed out of her ball gown and into something a little more human.

"I am going to meet my girlfriends for shopping, and you don't really want to spend time with me either. So spend as much as you want, buy as much as you want. Meet me here at four, and we can play nice when we get back to the guys because none of us want to get in Daddy's bad graces, alright?"

I nodded, and the limo pulled to a stop.

A servant from the house opened the door for her, and she put on her expensive sunglasses as she got out. By the time Kate and I had gotten out of the limo, Angelique had disappeared into the crowd, and she was off to see her friends.

We had left the crowded casino's and tourist areas of Las Vegas, and we were in an upscale shopping area full of outrageous outfits with outrageous price tags. The people who milled weren't tourist aiming their cameras at everything and wearing the cliché embarrassing Hawaiian shirts.

This part of Vegas reminded me of New York.

I began to think back to my home.

I lived in a beautiful pocket of New York City. It was built mostly by Mount Olympus Architectural Company, my mother's company. It was a family friendly spot, and it was pretty safe, though parents still never let their kids too far out on their leash in New York. It had little house developments, parks, kids areas, and there was a more urban area that was still part of it but separate at the same time. My best friend, Emily-Rose, lived there. Her parents, Grover and Juniper, opened an eco-friendly store in a large building. The first floor became the shop, and the next two floors became their home where they raised their three children.

"Well, where to?" Kate looked down at me, and I shrugged.

We began to walk around, and we decided to randomly inter a store.

As we looked through racks of dresses, I found myself obsessing over Angelique and Aiden.

My feelings of jealousy had morphed into anger for the two, though I wasn't sure why. But I also had fear in the pit of my stomach as I began to wonder if Aiden liked her as well.

I mean, she was a _goddess_, a minor goddess but still a goddess. She was beautiful, and she was mysterious. She could guarantee him a spot as Praetor, and, if things worked out really well, he could end up marrying her and becoming eternal as well.

And I…. I was thirteen. I was the _Daughter of the Mind and Sea_. I guess I'm pretty, but I still hadn't truly grown into myself. He seemed to know me like I was an open book. And, if anything at all happened between us, it would be a miracle if my brother and father didn't kill him.

And then there was Chester…

Chester was funny, he was charismatic, and he kept things interesting. He was unpredictable, and he had that seductive smirk that made you just want to smile like an idiot. There was just something about him…

"So, do you think Aiden liked Angelique?"

Kate, who was just picking out a dress from the rack, looked back at me with a smirk.

"Is somebody jealous?"

"No, of course not. I just couldn't tell. She was so busy flirting that he didn't even get a chance if he wanted to," I tried my best not to sound bitter, though I didn't think it worked, "So, what do you think?"

"Well, I think he has his eyes on someone else."

"Who?"

Kate almost laughed.

"_You_, Charlie! You're telling me you _really_ didn't see the way he was glaring at you and Chester! Gods, why do you think Aiden hates him so much? He _likes_ you, and he doesn't like having _another guy_ in the picture."

I rolled my eyes and told her that she was imagining things, but I couldn't stop thinking about the two of them until it finally just popped out of my lips.

"How did you choose between Austin and Noah?"

Kate's head darted back to me.

It had been the love triangle in her life that we didn't much talk about.

Austin and Noah were best friends in middle school through high school. Noah met the son of Hermes through soccer. Austin didn't take it as seriously as Noah did and quit at the beginning of high school, but they stayed friends.

Kate was friends with Austin, too, and Austin picked the two of them to go on a quest with him. On the quest, Kate began to fall for Austin and Austin for her, but Kate felt something pulling her Noah as well. After a month of a gruesome love triangle, Kate picked Austin, and they were happy for a few months.

But everything changed. Noah couldn't speak to Austin and he rarely did to Kate. School started up, and Kate and Austin felt like they had ruined things, even if they did like each other. The couple that everyone at Camp adored ended five months in.

Austin faded away. He made new friends, joined the football team, and he lived a completely separate life.

But we still never spoke of it…

"What?"

"How did you suddenly know to pick Austin?"

Kate's eyes darted back to the dress in her hand, and she took a deep breath.

"And make the wrong decision, you mean."

I looked down.

"I didn't really know. I didn't want to ruin things with Noah .Things looked definite with Austin, and I liked him. So, when we got back from the quest, I kissed him. And I almost broke up the best friendship of my life. In the end, I'm not even friends with Austin. Noah isn't either. We haven't seen him in years," Kate pushed her hair behind her ear.

I nodded, and I began to feel sick.

Kate looked back at me, and she seemed to take a minute to piece together why I brought up such a touchy subject.

"Wait, you like Chester _and _Aiden, don't you?"

I blushed, and, before I could deny it, Kate jumped on it.

"Oh my gods! Both of them, go, Charlie!"

"Kate!"

She wasn't listening.

"Oooh… the bad boy and the soldier."

"_Kate!"_

"I wonder which one is a better kisser," she thought to herself.

Now I was as red as a tomato.

"_Kate!" _I hid my face.

"You'll probably find out!"

Now I basically screamed it.

"KATE!"

"Oh, sorry. But, come one, it's the first crush I can really get involved in! So tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Yeah, like when it all started."

"When it all started?" I swallowed heavily, trying to remember.

For both, it was basically instantaneous.

With Aiden, I felt something immediately, though that might have been because I first met him when he was shirtless. But the moment with the guitar kind of sold me, and he just grew on me from there, becoming a great friend. Easily, we could be more than friends…

And Chester was the charismatic bad boy you knew not to go near, but it was almost an obligation to…

"Well, I guess my feelings for Aiden, though I'm not completely sure what they are, started when he showed up to the front door shirtless…."

**Okay, so not a very eventful chapter. Kind of boring, I know. But hey, its here and it is still pretty good.**

**What do you think of Charlie being jealous of Angelique?**


	19. Chapter 19

_**Noah,**_

In my entire life, I had been on six quests.

My first was Sam's.

My second was my own, a small quest to help out a god who screwed some stuff up.

My third was with Austin.

My fourth was Kate's.

My fifth was my own as well, and it was much more serious.

And now I was on my sixth.

In the five prior, we had been very different. We were battered, fighting off monsters constantly, tired, and on the very point of desperation. I didn't get any sleep, rarely got a shower, and barely ate. It wasn't exactly a vacation.

But, had my sister not been in danger this entire time, I could have seen this as a vacation. A night with Apollo in Charleston where we made a new friend. A night alone with Kate in Birmingham while everyone else was away, though not exactly what I would have _liked_ to happen took place. More alone time with Kate. A role, though small, in a film. A beautiful actress flirting with me. And now time with Hermes in his penthouse in Las Vegas at _The Lucky Coin_.

Looking from the outside, this was an amazing trip with great luxury and a comfortable quest. We were all well-rested, treated the very best by gods who put us up for the night at their vacation homes. We all showered, ate well, and even traveled well in Sam's precious car. The monsters were frightened by the strong scent of Charlie's blood and knew that she was designed for someone else's attacks, and we had time to prepare for what would most likely be a grand battle.

But this wasn't a happy trip, and this wasn't an easy quest.

While the monsters were scared of Charlie's blood and didn't have a hit on her to make their attacks worthwhile, this meant that Olympia wanted Charlie for herself. Our journey couldn't be enjoyed when we were scared that Charlie could be gone forever at any time.

So, like the rest of my quest that couldn't be enjoyed, I didn't have much fun with Hermes today either.

First, he took us for a round of golf. I was pretty good, and Sam was better and had more fun. Aiden took easily to the game, and Chester didn't give it much thought, only beginning to care about whether he lost or won when Aiden started playing better. Hermes won, and he took us to the lounge.

Aiden and Chester, being well under the drinking age, went to the gym instead. And, as we were leaving, I noticed that their rivalry stayed there, too, making them try everything to be better than the other. It was a relief to get away from their constant attempts to beat each other to be honest.

Hermes took us to the longue and ordered a round of drinks as he settled into his chair.

"So, you two," Hermes smiled as the round of scotch was delivered to us each, and he brought his drink to his lips, "You are all grown up. Gods, I remember delivering some of your gifts for your mother's baby shower, Sam! And, to think, it has been over _twenty years_!"

Hermes laughed.

"You know, my own daughter is about that age, Angelique. She's a _New Age _goddess, as is her mother. Angelique is only _fifty years old_. So, so _young_, I know. A _baby._ I am trying to help her, to _raise_ her, if you will. That's why she is here with me in Vegas, this is her full time residence. I come to her at most I can, I want her to find someone. For her to settle down. She's changed me, really. I finally have the time to raise her, and it seems just so hard…" he shook his head, making it very clear that Angelique was the problem child out of all of his children, who were usually known for being the problem child in their families.

That explained why Hermes acted so peaceful and family-oriented.

He was raising Angelique.

I decided not to bring up that being fifty wasn't really being _a baby_.

"I do believe she likes young Aiden," Hermes smiled, "But I believe he is otherwise engaged, am I correct?"

Hermes laughed, and Sam laughed with him.

But my face stayed straight, a sign for Hermes to change the subject.

"Speaking of that, how are you two," Hermes raised his eyebrows, "_doing_?"

I swallowed heavily, and Sam smiled wide.

"I'd say pretty well," Sam smirked.

We all knew this, me especially because I was his best friend and roommate. But you could pretty much tell just from looking at him. His confidence was apparent in everything from his smile to his walk. And women just always seemed to fall at his feet.

I had been told that they did to me as well, but I never saw it.

But then again, I didn't take advantage of it as Sam did. I didn't know how, I didn't even know how to _see_ it.

"But what about you?" Hermes looked to me, and I shrugged.

"Alright, I suppose."

"Alright? Gods, you haven't been on a date in over a month? In that time, I've already met, dated, and dumped a girl," Sam rolled his eyes as he took a sip from his Scotch.

"But I'm not _you_, Sam. I don't…" I smirked, raising my eyebrows, "_work_ that fast."

"If I do remember though, you were quite infatuated with a young girl last time I saw you. How did that ever turn out?" Hermes smiled knowingly, and my stomach twisted.

He was talking about the last time I saw him in New York when we helped him deliver a package. When I was missing Kate and anyone willing to open their eyes could see it.

"Infatuated? Hmm, sounds like Noah. Always too scared to ask a girl out," Sam smirked, "What_ did_ happen?"

If it was possible, I would have killed Hermes, but it wasn't. And, even if I really did want to reach over and strangle him, I didn't need to be hated by a god.

I wanted to pretend I didn't remember what he was talking about, but that would also take the risk of him announcing to Sam that this "infatuation" they were teasing me about was for his little sister, Kate.

"Well, if I think we are talking about the same person, it didn't turn out. You know, life takes you in different paths. I one way and she another. Typical," I nodded.

"Life, does take you in different places, I will admit. The Fates can take you away," he got a devilish grin, "But it can bring you together as well. Not always at the most _opportune_ times, you have to keep watch."

"I guess we do," I nodded and sat up, desperate to steer the question any other way.

"Who wants to join me in a game of pool?"

"I'm in," Sam nodded.

"Sounds great."

_**Charlie,**_

Once I adjusted to the topic of our conversation and learned not to turn bright red, I realized how easy it was to talk to Kate. Maybe it was that she was older than me and had been through the trauma of being thirteen, but it also had a lot to do with the fact that she had known me forever.

Whenever there was a subject I didn't want to talk about with my mom or just wanted a second opinion, I went to Kate. I had known her my entire life, and I adored her. She was basically my older sister, and I was the little sister she always wanted.

We always talked about stuff like this, only it had always been Kate talking to me about boys and love triangles. Kate was eager to jump right in to the role of older sister, and it was like a movie montage.

Shopping for beautiful outfits with an unlimited credit card of a woman who had no concept of money. Playing around by laughing at each other in funny outfits or accessories. Talking about our boy problems. And we even had time to stop and order hot chocolates and talk together in a coffee shop before Angelique got back.

It felt perfect. Well, it would have been _completely _perfect if we had been talking only about Kate's troubles.

While it felt good to get mine off my chest, it also stirred up thinking about them. And it made me evaluate it even more.

Aiden had become one of my closest friends even though we hadn't known each other long. He understood me, made me laugh, made me smile, and still kept me with feelings towards him (though I couldn't exactly decide what). He was the perfect man, the one girls talk about trying to find all the time. There was an age difference though, which wouldn't be such a problem if we were older, but was a problem here. And he was secretive, lived in New Rome, and kept what he did there under wraps.

The attraction to Chester was immediate. He has that sultry smile, intriguing eyes, and kept you guessing at every turn. I didn't know him as well, but he was easier to get to know. He was friendlier, charismatic, and there didn't seem to be many things that he kept a secret. He was also a girl's dream, though the secret one our parents didn't approve of.

As I compared them, I kept seeing points go to the other again and again, making one seem more favorable until the other got a point for something else. The winner kept changing, and it was beginning to get me dizzy.

That's why, as Kate was sipping at her second hot chocolate and I was nibbling at my strawberry muffin, I changed the subject from my woes to hers.

"So, how have you been carrying along?"

Kate knit her eyebrows in confusion.

"I mean, with guys. When you're in love with my brother, how has your love life been carrying on?"

Kate seemed to blush, which was almost silly after how deep our conversation had been before now. We had gone into worse subjects than how our love lives had been getting along.

"Fine, I suppose," she looked down to her cup of hot chocolate.

I wasn't sure I believed her.

"Who was the last guy you dated?"

Kate closed her eyes to think about it, which was already a bad sign.

"Humphry, that was it."

"Humphry?" I raised my eyebrows.

"British, you know. He was in my Literature class last semester. We were together for a while," Kate shrugged.

"How long is a while?"

"Four months," Kate smiled proudly, knowing I was expecting it to be shorter.

"And how long ago was that?"

Now Kate was silent, taking a sip of her coffee and not meeting my eyes.

Finally, as he played with her hands, she shrugged with an answer.

"About three months."

"Any dates since?"

"Well, I was busy with finals," Kate tried.

"In high school, you would have dated about three guys since then and already have broken their heart."

"I didn't break their heart, and I wasn't really dating them. It was a few casual dates, nothing serious," Kate explained, but I shook my head.

"_They _didn't think so."

Kate sighed.

"I don't know. I was super social my senior year. Always seemed to have a date on Friday nights whenever I wanted one. Relationships started faster and lasted longer, and there wasn't a big gap in between them like now. But then I went to college, and I just…"

Kate leaned back in her chair, trailing off as she got lost in thought.

"Kate, if your love for Noah is going to prohibit you doing stuff, just man up and tell him."

This Kate heard.

"I _can't_, Charlie," Kate sighed dramatically.

"Why not?" I crossed my arms, getting angry at how dramatic the two of them were.

I just wished they would get together already! Whenever I decided to give them a push, it did the opposite of what I wanted. I tried to explain all the time that the other was in love with them, but they always thought I had misunderstood and saw stuff like that because I wanted to see it and wanted to get them together.

No matter what I tried, it ended the same way. They told me that it wasn't meant to be, name off a few reasons why not, and then say something about how they had to suffer and how I shouldn't dwell on it, too.

They had to get together on their own, but they just wouldn't do it!

"I just can't. He's my best friend-"

"But you said it yourself, you can't really be friends with him when you are so much in love with him!"

"I grew up with him-"

"That's nothing, Kate."

"He's my _cousin_."

"By marriage, not blood. And it's basically distant anyway. His step-mom was your father's half-sister."

"My big brother is his best friend!"

"Sam could move on from it, unlike you apparently."

I would have kept interrupting if she hadn't decided to put an end to the conversation.

"It just _won't work_, Charlie," Kate gave me the look to let it go, and, while I didn't want to, I did anyway.

I nodded and leaned back in my chair.

Kate pointed and made a deep frown.

I turned around to see Angelique walking towards us, loaded down in shopping bags and talking on a cell phone. She made a motion with her hand, and the limo that brought us here drove up to meet her.

"Is she planning on leaving us?" I asked, crossing my arms.

I didn't like Angelique.

Why I felt so angry when she was with Aiden, I wasn't sure, but I was. And it made me hate her.

Angelique's eyes suddenly looked to us, peering through the other patrons at the coffee shop straight to us. She seemed to be annoyed, as if we should have known that the sight of her meant running after her, and her eyes told us to come to her now or she might leave us.

"Well, there goes the fun part of the day," Kate moaned, standing up, and she balanced her bags on her shoulder.

I followed after her, and I did my best not to glare at Angelique as she gave us each a once-over.

She was so self-important, so righteous, and so…. _Annoying_.

Even if she was a goddess, though minor, I wanted to slap her as hard as I possibly could for as long as I could, even if that only meant messing up her make-up.

"How'd it go?" she asked finally.

"Fine," Kate shrugged, speaking up first because she knew I wouldn't be exactly _polite_ if I was the one to talk to her instead, "How did it go for you?"

"Fine," Angelique flipped her hair, "I found the perfect dress."

I felt sick as I realized that the "perfect dress" was going to be used to impress Aiden.

Suddenly, my strawberry muffin and hot chocolate felt like it was climbing up my throat.

"I even got a few gifts," her dark eyes sparkled as she looked at me, and, while Kate was smiling and silently claiming that she was right that she wasn't as bad as we had earlier thought, my stomach felt worse.

I nodded, unable to speak without the fear of puking all over Angelique.

"This'll be fun, going out to the club together."

"Yeah, fun…" I muttered.

_**Kate,**_

I smiled to myself as I ran a brush through my wet hair, still smelling the sweet lilac bubble bath I had just been soaking in.

Today I had been fun.

I loved Charlie, she was the little sister I had secretly wished I had instead of Sam. When I went to college, I still saw her, and we still talked on the phone. But things seemed different, there seemed to be less time to see each other. And Noah was usually coming to see her, and I didn't want to see him…

I had always wanted to be there with Charlie to talk about boys, and I might have been a little too happy to be talking about love triangles. But I couldn't help it.

Charlie had liked boys, I guess. But it was always a crush, nothing more. It was never serious, which I was happy about because she was only thirteen and Noah couldn't handle it ever being serious. She didn't want to rush into growing up like people her age.

But it was clear that this was different.

The way she spoke about them…

She didn't just think they were cute or easy to get along with. She actually _liked_ these boys, she liked them more than I had ever really seen her like anyone before. And I had never seen her so confused either.

Like the rest of our bloodline, Charlie usually had things figured out. She was faster and smarter about things than people her own age. In her other crushes, she would have decided by now, especially when there were such life or death situations going on.

Her mind would have been made, a poor boy's hopes thrown away, and a crush completely formed any other time. But this was different…

Other than talking to Charlie though, my day wasn't so great.

A long drive. Awkward lunch. And a horrible drive where we got stuck in traffic with Angelique.

When we got back, we all went to our rooms, and I settled in for a nice relaxing bubble bath, partly to relax me and partly because of how long it had been since I got a shower.

In the bath, I finally felt free. Free of thought. Free of worries. And free of everyone else.

There were things I needed to think about, possibilities I needed to consider, and people who needed special attention in my head.

Noah. Olympia. Charlie. Chester. Aiden. SoccerGuy18…

All of it was important, and it demanded my special and undivided attention.

I needed thought, I needed ideas, and I needed time.

I had time. I had thought, and I could think of ideas.

But I didn't want to.

No, I refused to.

I wanted peace, I wanted tranquility.

And, even though it wasn't for long, it was absolutely perfect.

But it couldn't last forever, and I finally climbed out of the tub and into my plush robe to dry off.

As I blow-dried my hair, my thoughts drifted back to me.

Particularly Soccerguy18 stayed with me, and I kept thinking about the fact that he was also right around here and that we were going to the same place. It was tempting to see him, to tell him that I think we should meet, and to choose him over Noah.

But I wasn't sure.

It was the wrong time to make such a move, and I wasn't even sure that I wanted that.

Too call on SoccerGuy18 and meet him would mean giving up on Noah completely and forever. It would mean picking a man I didn't know, a man who I got close to because we were in love with different people. Could he really chose me over Dianna?

…Could I choose him over Noah?

It had always been my fear that I couldn't let him go and be happy without him. I always worried that I would end up in an unhappy life or not really have one at all. And this felt like the biggest test, asking me the big question.

And I wasn't ready to answer it yet…

I was snapped out of my thoughts by realizing that I had already changed back into my clothes from earlier and had nothing else to do unless I wanted to begin getting ready for tonight, which I _didn't_.

Not wanting to have to just sit here, I got off the bed of my room and started towards the living room.

The penthouse was expansive, it was a palace fit for a god squeezed into a penthouse. There was clearly a magic on it to grant it so much space, and I was a little scared of what I might find if I decided to go and explore.

We were put in what Hermes had called the "Guest Level" in six of the many bedrooms around. Each seemed to be fit for a god. There was a common area, offices for personal use, sitting rooms, a game room, a pool room, a media room, and access to the pool on the roof as the servants had pointed out

On the next floor, there were the more important rooms. Hermes favorite office and usual center of business, his room, Angelique's, (as the servants had gossiped to me) Photreppa's room because she wanted to see her daughter and help raise her but had a rather messy break-up with Hermes and had demanded her room be on the opposite side of the floor, and other such amenities for the masters who lived on that level.

"Hey, Kate."

I looked over to see Charlie leaving her room, and we went down the stairs together.

"Where's Angelique?" Charlie asked, her arms crossed and her face full of distain.

It was almost funny to see Charlie so jealous.

"I don't know, what does it matter?"

"It doesn't, just wondering," Charlie shrugged, "I don't care."

"Oh really?"

"Why should I care? We don't get along, but I do not dislike her or like her."

"You don't?" I laughed.

"What? I _don't_."

"Sure, Charlie."

"I _don't!_"

"Keep telling yourself that," I shook my head as we walked into the living room, and we would have kept bantering if the elevator door didn't surprise us and open.

Five men were standing it in.

Sam and Hermes wore the only smiles. He and Sam were talking about their good golf game and something about a longue.

Noah looked nervous and a little on edge. He didn't talk about golf or the longue or anything about their day, but he still slightly stayed in the conversation like he was prepared to steer off a uncomfortable subjects at any moment.

Then there were Aiden and Chester.

They didn't speak, they didn't even look at each other. Their bodies looked tired and worn out, and their skin showed they had recently been sweating a lot, even if they had changed into sports clothes with the logo for some longue (the one Hermes and Sam were talking about I guess).

I looked to Noah as if to ask what happened to them, and he let out a small, silent laugh and made a motion that he would tell me later.

"Oh, Katherine! Charlotte!" Hermes smiled wide as he walked to us.

It almost shocked me to hear both of our real names after being called "Kate" and "Charlie" for so long.

"Where is Angelique?"

"I'm here, Father," Angelique's voice carried through the house as she came down the stairs, her heels clacking against the stairs, and I looked back to see her.

You could tell she enjoyed being a goddess and definitely loved being "High and Mighty" about it as well.

Her long brown hair was tied into a complicated bun, and she was wearing a black and sparkly black toga. It was loose on her thin frame, and it was clear that it would never look as good on anyone, unless you were Aphrodite, as it did on Angelique. It could almost make you hate her…

I suddenly understood why Charlie hated her.

Jealously of Angelique trying to take Aiden compounded with the jealously of Angelique alone could make you really hate her.

Angelique's cold, vacant stares turned brighter and interested when she caught sight of Aiden.

"You look ravishing, my Darling," Hermes smiled at his daughter, and Angelique smiled her thanks.

She looked back to Aiden, and I couldn't blame Aiden for being a little mesmerized by the beautiful goddess showing interest in him, even if it did make Charlie so mad.

"Let's all get ready for dinner. And then we can get ready for our night out on the town," Hermes smiled wide.

"Sounds great, Hermes," Sam smiled wide.

He had been excited for going out. After so much stress, he wanted to get it all out, which I understood. But I would have preferred relaxing to pounding music, people going crazy, and drinking to make it all go hazy. I was still going though, and I was determined to have fun like Sam said, if anything to prove to him that I could.

"How did it go with you girls?" Hermes asked as he and the boys started to the stairs, and Angelique smiled wide, her brown eyes full of mischief as she looked to Charlie.

"Wonderful! I even got to pick something out for Charlotte."

Charlie swallowed heavily.

"Y-You did?"

"Of course, Charlie!" she smiled like they were friends, "You'll love it, I have it sitting out on your bed."

"I actually have something picked out-"

"But this is a gift, Charlie," her eyes turned to a puppy dog look, "Please, you _have to wear _it. I sneaked away to pick it out myself, _especially_ for you. Please wear it."

Charlie was trapped. As she looked to everyone, she knew she had to wear it.

"Of course, thank you, Angelique."

Angelique smiled gracefully, and I looked back to Charlie as her jaw tightened.

"Stay calm. How bad can it be?"

* * *

_**Hi, so a long chapter I hope makes up for the fact that it took me so long to update.**_

_**I actually went on my EBC trip to Atlanta for school, which was three days. And while I was there, I got a virus that has made me spend the last four days with an unbearable sore throat, headaches, runny nose, upset stomach, chills, and overall weakness. And it turns out that I had bronchitis **_**again**_**, so I am on antibiotics that my mom seems to have misplaced and that this might be something serious because my doctor got so worried last time about it because he worried it might lead to pneumonia.**_

_**And now I have to go back tomorrow to present my poem over Pride and Prejudice and my article over Oscar Pistorius to my English class because, while our other teachers decided to just hang around after such an exciting beginning of the weekend, our English teacher decided that this was the perfect time for presentations! **_

_**Yeah, a long week.**_

_**And then it might be longer with my updating because a new Sims Expansion, University Life (which I have been waiting for **_**forever)**_** is finally coming out on Tuesday, and I will probably be wrapped up with that.**_

_**Hope to see you soon,**_

_**;-{D HAWTgeek ;-{D**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Charlie,**_

"Charlie, knock, knock," Kate knocked on the door, and I couldn't even answer.

I was too busy staring at my reflection.

I had it all planned before. I bought this perfect outfit. There was a red dress that went down to my knees, and it fit me perfectly. It was beautiful and mature, and it reminded me of Audrey Hepburn. I was going to wear these perfect high heels, and I was going to form this perfect wavy-up do that you saw in all of the magazines.

It was going to be perfect.

I particularly loved this because of how angry Angelique was making me.

Everything was going as planned. When I went shopping with Kate, I found everything I wanted. The shoes, the dress, everything. I had everything in the room I needed, and it was going well.

Until Angelique announced that she bought me a gift, and she spun it to where I _had_ to wear the dress. My dress, the one I had searched for, was now stuck in the bag in the corner of my room.

At first, I gave Angelique the benefit of the doubt. I _had_ to think positively. After all, she was doing this to get at Aiden, and I was his best friend. Why would she be cruel to me in such an obvious way?

But I expected too much from Angelique.

No, I didn't expect _enough_. She was much more conniving, much crazier, and much smarter than I had expected.

And she most definitely knew how to get at me without being obvious about it.

Example, the bag left on my bed by Angelique.

At first, I found nice things. A new diamond bracelet. A green scarf. A pair of wedge black heels. An then I found _it_…

Even just looking at it, it was bad. It was a green and white dress. The bottom was green and had a layer of chiffon over it, and there was a band of the same color with a bow in the back. The top was simple and white, but the sleeves commanded attention. The chiffon sleeves had two green bows, and it looked like something I wore when I was nine and my parents forced me into a dress.

I cringed just at the sight.

"Charlotte?" Kate knocked on my door again, and I moaned.

"Come in," I couldn't take off my eyes off the reflection, not sure if I was willing to let people see me in this so that I could march up to Angelique and kill her, even if she was a goddess.

This was _everything I didn't want_.

And I knew why she bought it. It was to remind everyone that I was so much younger, that I was only thirteen. That I was still in middle school, that this was my first real quest.

It was something I didn't want everyone reminded of…

"Hey, Charlie, I think my dress might be to tight-"

Kate stopped when she saw me, and her face filled with the desperate attempts against laughter and shock.

"That's Angelique's gift?" she finally managed.

I nodded.

She tried not to snicker.

"It isn't bad, really. You look great, you can look great in just about anything," Kate tried, but I wasn't buying it.

"I look like a _Girl Scout_, Kate."

"You do not look like a _Girl Scout_, Charlie."

I crossed my arms and gave her the look to tell her to tell the truth.

"Okay, yes, you look like a Girl Scout, but a hot Girl Scout," Kate tried again.

I _still _wasn't buying it.

"My dress was perfect, I was going to look _perfect_. Now look at what I'm wearing. I'm a freaking Girl Scout!"

"Why so obsessed with being perfect?" Kate grinned, and I knew what she was thinking.

Kate had assumed that I liked Aiden and Chester, but she thought it was an "or" situation instead of an "and" situation. She thought that, because they were such polar opposites, I must have picked one and just not told her yet.

But I hadn't…

And, today, I decided to get it all off my chest. I thought it would make me feel better, and it had. It felt good to get it off my chest, especially to Kate. I had already felt weird about keeping it from her after so many years of telling her everything, and Kate absolutely adored that it old her.

Now that the sweet moment had passed, Kate really took on her role as the older sister I always wanted and turned to teasing.

"I found the perfect dress, you know how hard that is," I glared at her for the insinuation.

"You sure it wasn't to be perfect for a special someone?"

"_I'm sure_."

No, I wasn't.

I knew I was, but I didn't know which one it was for.

"You can tell me if it is."

"And you can tell me why you're doing it," I smiled, turning it back on her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh sure, there's no reason why you're wearing the tight dress. And took so long with your make-up, and spent so much time on your hair. And wore heels that make you closer to a certain someone's height. Or why you're wearing Ocean Breeze, Noah's favorite scent," I smiled, wondering if Kate would deny it or take my lead of honesty.

She didn't.

If denial was an Olympic sport, Kate and Noah would have beaten the record for gold medals.

"Coincidence," Kate shrugged, adjusting her trench coat and fixing her hair in the mirror.

Kate was completely ready to go. Her hair was in perfect curls that cascaded down her back. Her make-up was perfect and not too overdone, even though she was going clubbing later tonight. Her heels enhanced her height, but she could still dance in them. And she kept her dress for tonight hidden underneath a red trench coat.

"You just so happen to have a bottle of the perfume only sold in Bermuda that my brother is known for loving?" I smirked, turning away from my own dress to tease her.

"It was in the room."

"Really? Hermes keeps that in his guest room. I just got some shampoo and Chanel #5."

Kate turned back at me, running out of excuses, and she stuck her tongue out.

I chuckled and pulled myself to sit on top of the dresser.

"So, what are your plans for tonight?" I raised my eyebrows and winked.

Kate blushed.

"_Nothing_, Charlie. I am just going to the club, dancing off some stress, getting a few drinks, and coming back up to get some sleep," Kate shrugged, but she didn't meet my eyes. Instead, her grey eyes stayed glued to the mirror as she adjusted her earrings.

"Really, you're going to be _sleeping_? All alone?" I raised my eyebrows.

Kate went from a small blush to the shade of a strawberry.

"Yes, Charlie, _all alone._"

"I'm _sure._"

"Listen, nothing has happened in the last thirteen years. _Nothing _will happen now."

"But alcohol and Ocean Breeze weren't involved in the last thirteen years" I smirked, and I went back to the bathroom, leaving Kate to turn the shade of a tomato.

I pouted at the sight of me, and I looked back at the rest of the gifts from Hermes, Angelique (_cringe_), and leftover gifts from Apollo. I worked on my make-up while Kate kept talking to me, and I tried to distract from how I looked like a Girl Scout. But nothing seemed to do the trick.

"Need some help, Charlie?" Kate smiled at the door, and I hesitated.

But I laid down my pride and nodded.

Kate smiled wide, having always wanted to do this, and she quickly began.

I could feel her apply foundation and powder. Then she gave instructions for me to make a kissy face to show my cheekbones better. I had to close my eyes to put on the eye make-up. Pucker my lips for lipstick and lip gloss. Stand still for her to do my hair. Hold the ponytail holder. And listen to her tell her that I'll love the results.

It felt like it would never end.

"Alright, keep your eyes closed, but not too tight. Don't smudge," Kate warned me, and I did what she said as she tied something around my hair.

"Are you almost done yet?"

"And that's it," Kate stepped away from me, "You can look."

I gasped.

I look so- It turned out so- I feel so-

I couldn't even finish the thought. It was… _amazing._

My blonde curls had the green silk scarf pulling it out of my eyes. My eyes looked like something you saw in a magazine but thought, "I _could_ never do that," as you looked at it. My high cheekbones were highlighted, and my lips were plump and bright red.

"How did you do that?" I looked back to her, smiling wide, and she smiled even wider.

I remembered her face, it was what I called the _Big Sister_ smile.

"You'll laugh."

"I _always_ laugh at you Kate," I smirked.

She stuck her tongue out.

"I have wanted to give you a make-over for forever. I always wanted to be the big sister giving her sister who gave her little sister make-over and talked about boys. Not sure why."

"Well you got it today," I smiled to myself. That was the plus side of today. Sure, Angelique stuck me looking like a Girl Scout and I had to admit my feelings for Aiden and Chester, but Kate got to live out the fantasy of being my big sister.

And I liked having her as a big sister…

_Maybe I should try a little meddling to get her as my sister-in-law…._

Or, if I'm lucky, they'll just get it over with, drink a little too much, and spill their guts.

"Come on, let's go see what Angelique has to say about the dress."

"Thanks for the reminder," I moaned as I looked back to the dress. I was still a Girl Scout, but I was a hot Girl Scout.

_**Noah,**_

"Gods, this is going to be awesome, I've needed this. And you're finally going. You should have gone with Apollo and me…" Sam kept talking about how much fun he and Apollo had in Charleston, but I zoned out.

I was staring at the ceiling, lying on the bed in Sam's room. I didn't need the whole hour to get ready for dinner, I just took a quick shower and got dressed. Sam, on the other hand, needed a lot apparently. And I didn't want to go out there yet.

So I just came over to Sam's room.

Now he was working on his hair, and I knew this could take forever.

I wasn't sure how he could be the same guy I knew at practice, who wore the same tee shirt for three days straight at home. Sam who threw on whatever was there in the mornings, left his hair wet, and complained that I took forever just because I stopped to shave.

He first started to change when we were sixteen, when he figured out girls didn't really like sweaty tee shirts and mismatched sneakers. That morphed into this obsessive deal with the hair and picking out outfits, though he still wore his old raggedy tee shirts whenever we were at home and no one was really looking.

For the first time since then, I wished I was like that. That I took a while to get ready, that I had something to think of. Work to do.

Now, I was finished and stuck staring at the ceiling and listening to Sam talk about how much fun he had with Apollo.

My mind just kept drifting off.

Everything just swirled around in my wind.

Charlie and the quest. Olympia and why she would want to kill Charlie. How little distance we had left. How this quest was stirring up things that were perfectly fine where they were. Like Kate at college and me working all the time. And my thoughts usually staying on PixarRules4…

Everything was fine where they were.

I loved my job, I was working hard. I wanted to go to Manchester more than anything in the world. I loved my little sister, and she was still my little sister, just a baby to me. She and Emily-Rose still had sleepovers, and she didn't date yet. My parents were always there for every big game. My mom was still far away in LA and not always getting angry at Annabeth. Quests were a thing of the past, I was a grown-up now. I lived on my own, I paid bills, I went out and bought milk. And Kate was out of my life.

But now everything was different. The season is over, and we haven't started practice again yet. I find myself hesitating at the dream of another continent away from Kate, Charlie, and everything. My little sister isn't a baby anymore, and I am forced to see it. Charlie isn't sleeping over with Emily-Rose, she's on a quest with two boys, and they both seem to like her. Quests aren't a thing of the past, they are a thing of a past. And I'm still not a grown-up. I'm just that same little scared thirteen year old afraid of losing Charlie when my parents let me watch her at the park.

"Maybe we'll get lucky," Sam smirked, throwing his towel he used to dry his hair at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"It isn't the best time. We're on a quest that could kill us."

"It is the _perfect _time. We're on a quest that could kill us! This could be our _last chance_!"

I rolled my eyes again and threw the towel back at him.

"It might help with how grumpy you are."

"I'm not _grumpy_."

"And I'm not blonde."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes once again.

"Dude, what's your problem? We're in Vegas!"

I still stared at the ceiling.

"Oh my gods, this is about a girl!" he laughed, and I tried not to blush.

_Please don't mention Kate, please don't mention Kate_, I prayed.

"It's Breanna Blue, isn't it?"

I took a sigh of relief.

"Dude, get over it. She's an actress in LA, you're in New York. And she's dating Zeus. It could never really work out."

I wished I could tell him.

I knew it wasn't manly or anything and that he would tease me if I decided to share my feelings, but I wanted to.

Sam and I knew everything about each other. I knew the girls he had dated, he knew the girls I dated. I knew the girls he really cared about, he knew the ones I really cared about. I knew his dreams, and he knew mine. We had known each other since we were five, it was impossible to keep secrets.

Except for this one.

I had kept it so well for so long.

And I wanted off my chest.

_But Kate was his little sister_…

"Yeah."

"You'll be fine, Buddy. A few drinks, and you'll be back to normal."

_I doubt that_, I thought.

"You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right, now let's go out there. The sooner we get dinner over with, the sooner we go out!"

I already needed a drink, how was I supposed to wait?

I followed Sam out of his room and down the stairs to the living room, where I found Chester and Aiden, and they didn't look so happy to be sitting next to each other.

They hadn't liked each other before, but it had been just rivalry.

Now it was full-blown hatred.

All day, they had been trying to beat each other.

Aiden beat Chester in golf. Chester beat Aiden in Jeopardy playing on the TV in the limo. Aiden beat Chester in Hermes's favor, and Chester beat Aiden in Ping-Pong. Aiden beat Chester with chin-ups and push-ups, but Chester beat Aiden on the treadmill. Aiden beat Chester at kickboxing, and it just kept going on and on.

And, on the way, they got a few bruises. Aiden got hurt on the treadmill. Chester's wrist hurt from holding up too much on the weights. Aiden had a bruise from the ping pong ball hitting him really hard on his neck. And Chester had a big red spot from kick-boxing on his chest, which you could see from his shirt.

They were both exhausted. Both mad. And both desperate to "one-up" the other.

Looking at them, you could see no reason why they should be friends. They made it clear they didn't like each other's company, had bruises and bumps from the other, and obviously had _nothing_ in common except for this quest.

They didn't even look similar.

Aiden was taller, older, and looked like an angel. In fact, he looked more like a teen heart throb my high school girlfriend would have been drooling over. He had sandy blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. His face was just as perfect as the Apollo children are all gifted with, and he was wearing the suit Hermes had laid out for him.

Chester did _not_ look like an angel. His black hair was gelled up, and his eyes were obsidian black, impossible to read. His skin was olive, and his lips were usually formed in a smirk, though he had a deep frown now. And he was wearing the suit Hermes gave him, though it looked completely different on him.

I didn't like either for my sister.

Chester for obvious reasons and Aiden for the age difference and the location difference.

But mainly the fact he could drive.

I didn't like that.

"Hey guys," Sam eased the tension by sitting in the ample space between Aiden and Chester, and I sat down beside Aiden.

As I sat there, I knew to make small talk, but nothing came to me.

I wasn't going to talk about his Roman military career (reminds me of how old he is). I wasn't going to talk about my sister. I wasn't going to talk about him growing up (same reason as first stated). I wasn't going to ask about how his driving lessons were going (I did not like that he could drive). And I wasn't going to talk about the wings (I just didn't want to go there).

I guess there were things he could ask about me, but they also seemed off limits.

Kate? The quest? Charlie?

Finally, he came up with something.

"So, how did you get into professional soccer?"

I thanked the gods that the awkward silence was over, and I began to explain my path to my career. It started with an obsession for soccer. Encouraged by my family, I became the team star. More time to play deepened my love for the game, and I just kept getting better. By the time I got to my senior year, I had teams wanting to sign me. I explained why I chose New York, how we had turned it around, and how I was hoping for Manchester United, my favorite time of all time.

The story lasted a while, long enough to fill the silence, and I wasn't sure where I wanted to lead the conversation off afterwards.

Luckily, I didn't have to.

Not so luckily, it was because Aiden was staring at my sister.

"Don't you dare laugh, any of you," Charlie glared at all of us, though none of us were about to laugh, as she came towards us.

I wasn't sure what I needed to stare at.

The fact she was wearing make-up (real make-up! Not just concealer and mascara!).

The heels (yes, actual _heels_).

Or the dress that I personally thought she was a little too tall for.

I might have had a heart attack if Kate wasn't right behind her.

_She is so beautiful…_

I did my best not to drool.

Charlie dramatically plopped down on a chair, and kept her pout.

I looked to Kate, and, instead of mouthing that she would tell me later like we usually did, she walked up to me and took the last bit of the couch.

"She isn't happy about the dress Angelique gave her," Kate whispered, and I smelled the sweet scent of Ocean Breeze and her favorite minty toothpaste.

It became my new favorite smell.

"She thinks she looks like a Girl Scout," Kate shrugged, and I couldn't even speak.

Kate's long brown hair fell on my shoulder as she was leaning closer to me to keep whispering.

"What happened with those two?" Kate's grey eyes moved to Aiden and Chester, and I searched myself for the courage to speak.

"They've been trying to outdo each other all day," I explained, keeping my voice in the same small whisper as her, "And it tired them both out so much that they can't do it anymore, so they're both sulking that they never got a winner."

"You had to put up with that all day?" she let out a small laugh and a pout.

"You had Angelique all day," I pointed out with a small smile, and she playfully shoved me, though not hard enough to make me run into Aiden.

"Actually, I had Charlie. Angelique ditched us immediately. Charlie and I went shopping. Spent all day looking at clothes, getting hot chocolate, having a girl's day," Kate smiled.

It was kind of adorable how much she loved Charlie.

If anything, it had always made me love Kate more…

"I was stuck between Aiden and Chester's bickering and Apollo and Hermes talking about golf and Vegas."

She patted my shoulder apologetically, and she sat back, showing that we were now done with whispering and needed to get back to the conversation.

I turned to where I could see everyone, and I found myself staring as I looked at Aiden's face as he spoke to my sister.

I realized I saw the same face in the mirror when Kate was around…

My stomach twisted, and I lost my appetite.

Praying for anything else to distract me, I looked around, and my eyes caught sight of Hermes, who had a big smile and happy eyes as he looked at all of us. He seemed friendly, fatherly even. I couldn't help but keep my guard up though, afraid for a prank or to find my wallet missing.

Behind him, Angelique didn't have as much of a friendly smile.

No, she wasn't friendly. She was proud and confident, sure that she was going to be the prettiest girl. And, even though I was still struck by Kate's beauty, I had to admit that Angelique was beautiful. Her long, dark brown hair was curled and fell around her, a diamond headband holding it out of her eyes. She had dangling diamond earrings that probably equals in worth to my yearly salary, and her dress was black and tight, long enough for dinner but short enough for the club afterwards.

And there was twinge of evil success, and I knew it was about Charlie's dress.

Her pride seemed to dampen, though not by very much, at the sight of Kate, but she stayed on her game.

"Charlie, oh, let me see you in your dress!"

She was sweet enough to fool her father but still had an evil glint in her eyes.

Charlie, her jaw tightening stood, and she turned back to Angelique.

Angelique couldn't hide her surprise, she just stared.

But she forced a straight face to not embarrass herself.

"I knew you would look great in it!"

"Thanks, Angie. Oh, you don't mind if I call you Angie, do you?" Charlie smiled, and Angelique's jaw tightened, showing she did mind. But she painted a smile.

"Of course not."

* * *

_**Before you come at me with pitchforks, let me explain.**_

_**I have a big project due, and I got people in my group who are usually hardworking and great people to hang out with. Turns out they are unbearable with projects. I have done triple the work they are doing, taken it home with me to do, spent my freetime getting facts together, written three papers in one day for it when they were late getting me the ones I needed from them. And I have been driving myself insane with the stress of handling them and this important project.**_

_**Standardized Testing starts on Monday. No one told me until today.**_

_**I have been feeling sick and kept laying down everytime I got home.**_

_**I had to go to my godmother's birthday party out of town and visit family all weekend.**_

_**And I just kept writing a few paragraphs and then stopping and moving on to something else. I don't know why.**_

_**I hope to get the next chapter out soon.**_

_**Oh and, BTW, you can find Charlie's dress on polyvore under the account of HAWTgeek. I would put the link on here, but links never seem to work on my account.**_


	21. Our Wild Night In Vegas

_**Charlie,**_

Dinner never seemed to end.

We got there with reservations and were seated immediately, though we probably would have been treated the same because Hermes was a god after all. We tried for the least awkward seating arrangements, but it still managed to be awkward. We all ordered drinks (and, though I felt like I desperately needed a drink, I was only allowed a soda), and we listened to Hermes talk about work.

While we decided on our food, Kate and Noah were mostly talking to each other, laughing most of the time but having a serious conversation other times. Sam and Hermes began to talk, and there was absolutely no talking between Chester and Aiden. And Angelique was still so mad at me that her words were limited, and she spent most of her time drinking from her Champaign class. So we mostly sat in awkward silence.

We ordered, and Angelique began to warm up to the idea of conversation. She spoke out a little more, beginning with snide comments towards me. And, just as Aiden and I were beginning to get comfortable with talking, Angelique ruined it and got into talking, too.

She began to flirt with Aiden by the time our food got to us, and I couldn't stand it.

Half-way through dinner, I refused to even look at Aiden, even though part of me knew it wasn't his fault that Angelique was throwing herself at him. I would only talk to Chester, and that stirred him up to talk to Angelique more.

By the time we were being asked about dessert, there was no way I could stand another moment of this.

We all voted to skip dessert. The elder wanted to go to the club, and the younger wanted to get away from each out.

The next thing I knew, we were all back in Hermes's golden limo, and only Hermes spoke, giving out the plan.

The agreements were made easily for the older kids. When we got to the hotel, they were going to the club, and no worry was needed on the lack of proper ID's to fake their age. Hermes would wave them through, and they would have fun.

For the younger, there was a bit more trouble.

Hermes kept trying to think of activities we could all enjoy, but he couldn't really decide on anything.

By the time he was suggesting put-put, Aiden was interjecting.

"You know, I'm pretty tired actually. I think I would like to go home and get some sleep," Aiden told him, rubbing his neck nervously. Angelique's smile seemed to fall, but it's not like he was going with her in the first place.

"Are you two tired?" Hermes looked to me and Chester, and we both nodded.

"Long day, I suppose," I glanced at Angelique, glaring, "Shopping with Angie was so fun it took all the energy out of me."

"It was fun, _especially_ finding that dress. It is so _cute_ on you, Charlie," Angelique said cute in the way you say a five-year-old's dress looks so cute on her.

My nose crinkled.

Kate was quick to stop us before it got too far out of control.

"It really was great, a wonderful idea on your part, Hermes."

"Why thank you," Hermes took the compliment readily, and he took over the conversation again.

But Angelique and I kept eyes on each other, a death glare in her eyes and daggers in mine.

This lasted the entire way back to _The Lucky Coin_, a silent stand-off between us threatening to blow at any moment. My finger-tips felt like water boiling, and I felt a wave of anger-fueled water threatening to crash at any time.

Only the idea of the limo being flooded stopped me from speaking, and she had her own reasons for keeping quiet that I didn't care about.

When we got to the hotel, my anger was bottled up inside of me, not threatening to explode anymore but not fading either. It was liberating to get out of the limo, and I felt antsy to get away from Angelique as we all stopped in the lobby for Noah to give us a speech about not doing anything stupid.

"We'll be fine, I promise."

"You'll stay in the penthouse?" Noah crossed his arms.

I avoided that question.

"Trust me, Noah. I'll be _fine_."

Noah looked like he wanted to get an affirmative answer on that question but decided to listen to me, and he nodded.

"Alright, have fun. Be good. Love you, Charlie," Noah kissed the top of my head.

"Have fun, alright? Stop worrying all the time," I smirked, and I raised my eyebrows, "Save a dance for Kate."

He glared at me, and I let out a laugh as I watched him go into the club after everyone else.

But my smile didn't stay, and my ease faded.

Now I was stuck beside Aiden, who I was so unbelievably mad at. Logic couldn't comfort me, though I wished it could. My Athena blood couldn't conquer the Poseidon passion I had inherited. And, even more, I had also gotten my mother's jealousy…

"Let's go," I turned towards the elevator, my void frigid, and Aiden and Chester followed me, though I managed to always be a step ahead of them.

I pressed the elevator impatiently, trying to clear my thoughts. But they were determined. They wanted to plague me as horribly as they possibly could. Logic tried to set order, but my feelings were resolute. And Aiden and Chester's presence only made it worse.

The elevator doors finally dinged open, and a bunch of young girls here for a bachelorette party piled out, giggling and even a few winking at Aiden on their way out.

As I got in the elevator, I wondered if I could ever cope with that if we did ever get together.

Girls all adored him, boys wanted to be him. He was the angel girls spend their lives dreaming about and longing for. He was Mr. Perfect that only seemed to exist in Romantic Comedies. Aiden had a sense of loyalty, was smart, and proud in the best of ways.

And I wasn't the only one who noticed.

Everyone who caught sight of Aiden did.

He radiated perfection, a trade handed down from his father.

And, if I couldn't handle Angelique, how could I handle other girls? Girls who are his own age, who have more in common with him, who are prettier than me, who understand him better…. Girls he's supposed to be with….

Aiden was the clear chose for anyone else. If this was happening to someone other than me, I would wonder why she would even consider giving up someone like Aiden…

But, standing in the shoes to choose, I saw the fine print to the perfect deal.

As I kept thinking, my thoughts jumbled up in my head, and I felt awkward as I leaned to the back of the elevator and watched Aiden put in the key to the penthouse.

Silence was ended by the soft tune of the elevator music and the hum of the machine, but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable. We all were in separate edges of the elevator, equally spaced out and equally awkward with each other.

There was a collective sigh of relief as the elevator finally got to the penthouse.

"See you guys in the morning," Aiden nodded weakly to each of us, not meeting Chester's eyes, and he started up the stairs to his room.

"Let me see what there is to do around this place," Chester began to climb the stairs after him, and I stood back, watching the two of them.

I had to be away from them at least for a little while.

I needed air, I needed space.

I needed to do something stupid….

I slid back into the elevator, my brain screaming against it, but my brain wasn't in charge. I was, my feelings controlled me now. And my feelings had never been very smart…

My brain agreed with my protection, it knew that things were better that way. My brain understood why I could never be alone, why I had to be watched all the time. My brain knew that there was a mad woman on my tail.

But my feelings didn't. I felt resentment towards the contestant protection, wanting to try to prove myself. I didn't want to be a kid forever. I felt smothered by being watched all the time, and I longed to be alone even if it was just for a little while. And I knew that this mad woman would probably kill me and that I couldn't live out the rest of my life this unhappy.

I pushed the button to go to the lobby, and I felt the liberation and fear of being without protection. It was a combination of butterflies and nervous naseau. It was lightheadedness and constant awareness of the danger in my surroundings. And I loved it…

_**Kate,**_

When I got into the club, the pulsing lights blinded me for a moment before I could see it, and, when I did, I understood why Hermes had such a love for it. The circular ceiling was golden and had the etchings of the golden drachma. The music was pounding, and everyone crowded onto the coin-shaped dance-floor that looked like a coin but kept changing colors.

Above the music, I could hear Angelique say something to her father, and she kissed his cheek before walking off into the party, disappearing in the crowd, and Hermes smiled at us.

"Have fun!" Hermes nodded, picking up a drink as he went off into the party himself.

Now it was just me and my older brother.

Sam was too shocked at the party, his eyes darting from the dance-floor, to the bar, and to a few pretty girls along the way. Finally, his lips formed a big and wide smile, and he ruffled his hair.

While he was mentally making his game plan and possibly picking out a girl for the night, I felt at my trench coat. I knew that it was time to take it off, that I had been hiding my dress because I really only wanted to wear it here. But I suddenly felt fear about it.

It was made for a skinnier, less curvy girl, but it made jaws drop with me. The dress was skin tight, and, as it was a bustier, I somewhat felt like my chest might just pop out. My skirt was longer than most of the dresses here, but it was still short for me and seemed even shorter with my super-high heels.

It took almost all of my courage to slide out of the jacket, and turn back to the coat check.

"Hey, where's-" Noah walked in and stopped.

No, staring at my _dress_.

I did everything not to blush, but I wasn't sure it was enough.

"Sorry… um, w-where did Sam go?" Noah tried, and I turned back to see that my brother had disappeared into the crowd while I was summing up the courage to take off my jacket.

"There was probably a girl," I smirked as I walked towards him and checked my coat, and Noah laughed.

He still seemed to stare at me, but he was trying to make it less obvious.

I wasn't sure whether I should be flattered or not…

"I guess we're on our own tonight," Noah smirked, looking out to the party.

His reaction was so different from Sam's about the party that it made it sometimes made it hard to remember that they were so close. He was excited, I suppose, but it wasn't that of almost childish excitement and overwhelming smiles.

But Sam and Noah had always been like that.

"At least we're not with _Angelique_."

"Oh you two. Gods, the girls just seem to hate Angelique."

"Well, Charlie has more of a reason."

"The dress?" Noah asked hopefully.

"More like who the dress was worn for," I laughed, "You know she likes them, right?"

"Both?"

I nodded, a small smile as we began to slowly walk our way towards the bar.

"Oh gods," Noah moaned.

"Somebody needs a drink," I playfully put a comforting arm around him, and he leaned in to me.

"I thought boys were supposed to have cooties at this point."

"You didn't act like girls had cooties when _you _were that age."

Noah blushed.

"Times have changed," he shrugged.

"Yeah, that stuff has gotten _worse_. You're pretty lucky you lasted this long," I laughed.

"You were pretty good when you were thirteen."

"I spent that entire year in love with Reece, the star of the swimming team."

"Reece Wilson?"

I nodded.

"Oh my gods, I remember that guy. You liked _that_ guy."

"I was _in love_ with that guy," I blushed.

"But you never spoke to him," Noah kept watching me, "I always thought you liked Austin."

We both felt the presence of the word in the air, though it wasn't as strong and awkward as before, and I hated that we still had to feel that.

Austin had been our best friend. He was one of us, he should have been here on this quest.

In fact, things were supposed to be completely different with Austin…

He was supposed to be the guy, the one I would fall for and love forever. Everything made sense for our match. We were enough alike to last but different enough to keep it interesting. There was mutual attraction, though it had never come to a head until we were older. And we were such a cute couple…

But the feelings I was supposed to have for Austin were for Noah. Everything was wrong, everything was ruined.

And, even worse, I _settled_ for Austin, though I didn't know it at the time. And it drove us apart, it ruined what seemed like Aphrodite's plan. To top things off, we even lost him as a friend, pushing me and Noah to get closer.

"No, that was when we were older…. I wonder how he is."

"I remember he got a college scholarship for football, but I don't remember hearing anything other than that…."

Austin's name had already dampened our moods, and, by the time we did get to the bar, Noah wasn't the only one who needed a drink.

We both ordered, and Noah held up our penthouse key, which prompted the bartender to tell us that the drinks were on the house.

As we each got our drinks (the bartender made it fast by ignoring the rest of his customers and doing us first), I held up my glass for a toast.

"We're going to have fun, no more depressing conversations. Just drinking and dancing, got it?" I asked, determined that we were going to have fun tonight.

"I'll toast to that," Noah smiled as he toasted his glass to mine, and I smiled as I took a drink.

I wasn't exactly sure what it was other than it was the Lucky Coin's signature drink and the glass had a golden drachma etching on the bottom. I didn't know what was in it, and I doubted that I really wanted to know either. All I knew was that it tasted good and it did the trick.

"Let's get started on that toast, shall we?" Noah smirked, motioning to the dance floor, where I could now see Sam dancing with some girl in a skirt so short it could have been a top really.

Sam hadn't forgotten the spirit of tonight. Tonight wasn't about the prophecy, Charlie, or anything else other than us. Tonight was about forgetting about that stuff.

Tomorrow, we could deal with reality (and some pretty bad hangovers). But, for tonight, we were free.

I smiled back at Noah, his eyes twinkling in the bright lights.

"You're on."

_**Noah,**_

As I was standing by Sam ,downing my shot and letting out a loud laugh, my eyes caught some blonde smiling at me, a kind of smile that only alcohol would inspire.

She stuck out in the room to me, mainly because her white teeth were even brighter in the lights. Her bright blue dress stuck out, too, and her friends giggled as they noticed I was looking back at her. Even from here, I could hear their alcohol induced giggles.

The girl wasn't completely lost to the drink, but she wasn't all there…

"Oh my gods, yes. We found her. This is your girl for the night," Sam urged, looking like he might drag me by my ear if I didn't go on my own.

"No, Sam-"

"No, listen, Noah. You are going over there. Listen you are going to buy a drink," Sam began, and I cut him off.

"I am not going over there! You go over there!"

"Your stressed, I get it. It has been a long week, I understand completely. This will help. Here's what will help you. You are going to talk to her, buy her a drink, get a drink for yourself, and maybe more will happen. Just go talk to her. If you don't like her, make up an excuse and ditch."

"I'm not going to _ditch_."

"You can do it nicely," Sam tried, "You know, say your little sister called you. Oh, or your girlfriend, and say it was really nice meeting you and how you should meet your girlfriend because you would be good friends. Something like that…"

"I am not doing that."

"Why not?" Sam complained, looking at me like I was insane.

"I can't just go hook-up with some girl."

"I see no reason why not."

Because of Charlie. Because of everything.

No, because of Kate…

I couldn't go off with some girl when I knew Kate would be in my head, that I would be thinking of Kate when I was with her…

And I couldn't do it to prove myself either, not when she was right there. When she was staying basically next door, in the same penthouse. With a brother who would want to announce it to the world.

"Because I don't want to."

"Just go over there."

"How about you go over there? You seem pretty keen on it," I crossed my arms, frowning at him.

"Because she is looking at _you!_"

"So what? She can look at someone else."

"How are you not getting this?" Sam put his hands on my shoulders, shaking me as if that would suddenly change my mind.

_It didn't._

"You have a chance, and you are freaking wasting it. This is pretty basic stuff," Sam rolled his eyes, and I did my best not to do the same.

"Fine, I will go and say hello if it will shut you up. Wherever it goes from there, it doesn't matter, okay?" I knew I was simply going to say an awkward hello, explain that my friend put me up to it, and possibly make small talk. But I wasn't going to do much else.

And I definitely wasn't going to do what Sam wanted me to do.

It just seemed easier to meet him half-way and get him to shut up.

"Fine, fine. But you'll like her, I know you will," Sam patted me on the back like he had won, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes this time.

I was pushing through the crowd full of drunk people falling all over each other, people making out on the dance floor, and dancers obsessed with the song. If I hadn't already had a few drinks, I probably would have been annoyed with the lengths I had to go to just to get to this girl who I didn't even want to talk to in the first place.

But the shots had definitely helped out my irritability.

I was moving past a bunch of girls giggling near the bar and scanning the crowd when I noticed her.

Kate was the prettiest girl in the club. Her hair looked the best, her make-up got the most attention, and her dress was the most stunning, even if not the most provocative. I wasn't sure I had ever seen her like this, but I really wished I had.

Her hair had been curled and down in waves, but she pulled it up in a curly ponytail once we got here. Her dress fit her perfectly, though she had complained to me that she thought it looked too tight, and it commanded attention. Her face was always beautiful, but it just seemed even more striking. And she looked so… graceful, so confident, so… Kate.

And I was just a love-sick guy in the friendzone.

I was about to force myself away and not be that weird guy staring when I finally noticed who Kate was aiming her smiles at.

My stomach dropped to my feet, and my frown was so deep I thought that it would never leave.

It was a guy…

No, not a guy. It was _the_ guy, the one girls dream about their entire lives. He was the older, less secretive and army-like Aiden.

His hair was blonde and perfect. His manner was engaging but not too excited. He was perfectly shaved, which was actually pretty hard to do. He dressed like my hero, David Beckham, and looked just as good in it. He was the man everyone hated…

And I hated him even more.

I couldn't help it. Curiosity and a desperate hope that he was gay or something forced me through the crowd. I didn't even notice who I was moving past, who I apologized for pushing past, who I was even moving away from. My eyes stayed locked on them.

His sultry smile and her beautiful smile. His eyes not leaving hers and her engaged demeanor. Their conversation continuing, though no one could hear anything over the music. Her occasional sip at her drink and his interest moving away from his drink to Kate.

I felt the shots from earlier climbing up my throat as I watched them.

It was the moment I knew I should have looked away. I should have gotten a big bottle of something and gotten as far away from them as I could. But I just couldn't look away. It hurt so much that you just had to let it hurt you more. You hated it so much that you just couldn't stop. It burned your eyes so much that you couldn't let them focus on anything else.

And I just kept moving closer to them, not sure what I would do when I got there.

Would Kate introduce me? Would he politely shake my hand and would I hate him more by the second? Would she put it in nice words for me to go back to Sam and let her keep talking to this man?

My fear was getting the best of me, but I couldn't get a handle on it.

And then he looked down to his coat and pulled out a phone. He checked the caller ID, seeing if it was important enough to leave Kate for, and he let out a frown. He smiled politely and explained something to her before going off, and she nodded, keeping his seat available for him though.

By now, I was at the bar.

Her eyes happened on me.

"Noah," she smiled, and I came towards her, my voice no longer working.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" I finally asked, motioning towards the barstool _he_ had just been sitting at.

"Oh, no. Well, kind of. Martin was just sitting there, but he went to take a phone call. It's fine."

"Who's Martin?"

"Oh, just some guy I was talking to," she almost seemed to blush.

It was all I could do not to puke up Tequila on the bar.

I suddenly regretted agreeing to drinking games with Sam.

"Really?"

Jealousy consumed me.

"Yeah, he actually lives here in Las Vegas. He owns a casino around here."

"He owns a casino? That's pretty cool," I nodded.

She smiled at me, crossing her arms.

"Don't do that face."

"What face? I'm not doing a face."

"You don't like him!"

"How could I not like him? I don't know him." I didn't like him.

"You really don't like him?"

"I've never _seen _the guy."

Lie number two.

"You would like him."

"Maybe."

And lie number three.

"You're doing it again," Kate rolled my eyes.

"Doing what?" I smiled, playing along mainly to forget my envy of him, "I'm not doing anything. I'm just sitting here."

"No, you are doing exactly what you have always done. Every guy I liked, every guy I dated, just about every guy I met. You gave that look, that look that scares everybody. And then, almost like magic, you would just convince me to give those guys up. I am _convinced_ you used magic."

I did. Chiron and Malcolm helped out with that one.

But I would never admit it.

"I did not, you decided you wanted to dump them on your own. I just _agreed _with you. You always complained that I didn't agree with you enough."

Kate gave me that look of, "_Oh sure_." I feared and adored it at the same time.

I simply smiled wide, and I felt comfortable with her, doing my best not to think of the fact I was in _Martin's_ seat.

What kind of a name is _Martin _anyway? And owning a casino? Really? If he is old enough for that, why is he hitting on a college girl?

"Hey, so, do you want a drink?"

Kate looked at me, as if both shocked I was asking her and a little bit hesitant to give up on Martin like that. But then her lips formed a big smile.

"I'm in."

I held up the room card and a drink was promptly delivered without charge.

"Dude! What are you doing?"

I moaned, and I looked back to see Sam, staring at me like I was the biggest idiot on the face of the planet.

"You're supposed to be talking to _her, _not_ Kate_."

There was absolutely no way I was leaving and going to talk to her now, not when _Martin_ could show up again.

"I realized she didn't want me," I lied, and I could tell by Sam's face that he was really wondering if I had taken a soccer ball too hard to the head.

"What?"

"She was smiling at you," I kept going, "I was half-way there when I realized she was still smiling but at you."

"Me?" Sam asked, and I nodded.

Sam seemed to think it over, looking towards the girl again and then back at me.

If I hadn't just given him a boost to his confidence, it probably wouldn't have worked.

But I knew Sam, and I knew it would work.

"You should go talk to her," I smirked, raising my eyebrows, and I silently prayed he would go for it. and, finally, he did.

"Wish me luck," he laughed, and he was gone by the time Kate and I started laughing.

"Was she really looking at him?"

"Nope."

Kate laughed even harder, nudging me.

"Let's go watch him," Kate grabbed my arm, and I followed after her, laughing as we squeezed past everyone.

By the time we could see him, Sam's magic was already working. She seemed a little pissed at me, which I got as she noticed me out of the corner of her eye and directed her attention adamantly back at Sam. But she was still mesmerized by Sam, affected by his charms and the alcohol of tonight.

The girl smiled and leaned on him, and he wrapped his arm around her as they began to walk to the bar.

_How does he do that so easily?_

Sometimes, I was convinced he was really the son of Apollo or something, but Aunt Kate and even Athena swore up and down that he was the grandson of Athena.

But then again, I guess you have to be a genius to do that…

"How the Hades does he freaking do that?" Kate laughed, crossing her arms.

"You're his sister, you should know."

"You're his best friend, _you _should know."

I nudged her, and I stood closer to her than I usually would.

I didn't slide gently away as she wrapped her arm around mine.

The jealousy had sparked something in me. I didn't want any new Martin to find Kate…

The speakers turned to a familiar song, the stereo making the floor shake beneath us. I smiled wide, remembering the song from almost two years ago. A song from a summer spent playing around in the lake of Camp Half-Blood.

Kate smiled, too.

"For old time's sake?" I smiled, and Kate answered by pulling on my arm to the dance floor.

* * *

_**Ugh, I know. Long time since I last updated, but I have another long story.**_

_**But, first, a while back, someone said that this story was becoming predictable because everyone keeps getting jealous. But that is kind of the point. That, along this perilous journey, they can't really see their feelings but jealousy keeps pointing it out for them.**_

_**Now to the story you probably don't really care about.**_

_**This has been the week of Standardized Testing, which I have survived so far (we have another test on Monday). I have been busting my butt for the History Project, but I am proud to say I am the one with the best out there. This weekend, two of my best friends had a birthday (one was on Friday and another the next day). There has been big girl drama this week, and I went to an awesome Taylor Swift Concert yesterday! Then, this morning, I have been busting my butt again because everything decided to fall apart today. Our house where we used to live that we are renting just had a tree fall in, and we are having trouble with the renters. She has to go up to handle it, but this week is so jam-packed that she will have to miss something important to do it. My mom's friend got in a car wreck and can't help her with something she needed help with this week. And just about everything that could happen just happened. So I have been helping her with the workload and kept her from going insane.**_

_**But everything will be fine soon because Spring Break starts this Friday!**_

_**;-D HAWTgeek ;-D**_

_**PS. You can also find Kate's outfit on Polyvore. My account is HAWTgeek12345. I kept trying to find a picture of a girl to meet her description, but I could only find a picture of Logan Lerman and some brunette. So I went with it.**_


	22. What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas

_**Charlie,**_

The air was polluted. I looked silly in my dress and a sweatshirt with a big logo for the Lucky Coin from the gift shop, and I half-expected people to stop and place an order for Girl Scout's cookies. But everyone else looked just about as silly. Tourist kept getting in my way, stopping to take pictures, and people who had too much to drink kept laughing annoyingly and running into me.

I didn't like these kinds of places.

I liked camp. I liked when the air was fresh and clean. I liked wearing my jeans and tee shirt, and I preferred when I was deciding on which girl scout cookies to buy for myself. I hated tourist who acted like idiots, and I wasn't found of people who turned ridiculous after too much fun.

Any other time, I would have pulled on my New York walk to weave my way rapidly through the crowd. This time was different though.

Never before had I really ever felt so happy to be alone in a big city in an annoying crowd, and I doubted I ever would be again.

The euphoria swept over me, making me take longer and longer as I wandered around. First, I just stayed in the lobby. I grabbed a coffee and a sweatshirt, and I pondered with where to go. When I thought of somewhere, I just started walking.

It was getting later, and I didn't want to risk anyone finding out.

Nothing bad happened. If anything, _nothing _happened.

I grabbed a big pretzel, and people kept running in to me. But, other than the sweet taste of freedom I had felt, there wasn't much of a reason why I came out here. There was no reward, nothing I could try to convince Noah to forgive me with.

Only that I wanted air.

It had always been like that though…

I always wanted air.

When I was little, I wanted to be outside, playing soccer with Noah in the backyard or I wanted to be at camp playing around by the lake. When _Olympia_ started appearing to me and tried to drown me when I was seven, I just desperately wanted to me out of the water and up in air again. At thirteen, I wanted air, too…

I began to miss the cute little town where we went to Demeter's "cottage". Things were so peaceful, the air so clean, and the monsters so very slim.

Even now, as I walked through the street, I could see them everywhere, just blending in with the tourist. They didn't bother me though, which almost felt worse.

Olympia wanted me for herself, that was why all those statues kept trying to kidnap me instead of just killing me on the sight. She had plans for me, and monsters respected that. No, they were _scared_ of her, and the fear of her was worth much more than just getting back at the gods and my parents by spilling my blood.

I guess things had always been like that.

My entire life, people stood away from me.

But we always assumed that it because of my blood. My grandparents were two Greek gods, and my parents were some of the most powerful demigods in history. Some of the most amazing demigods the world has ever known protected me, and I wasn't exactly weak myself.

That was all wrong though. They weren't staying shy of me to protect their own lives. They were saving mine for Olympia…

After another drunk girl ran into me, I finally got annoyed, and I took a shortcut to The Lucky Coin. My head kept reminding me of my lessons over how _not_ to get killed (taking "shortcuts" ranked up there on the what-not-to-do list), but I was already being stupid.

There didn't seem to be anybody else, just me.

And then I heard it.

A hoof scratching against the pavement, preparing to run.

It could have been a lot, I guess, but my mind instantly knew it was a minotaur. And I knew I wouldn't have time to run. I slid out of my shoes nonchalantly as I walked, leaving them on the sidewalk because I knew I couldn't fight in them, and I grabbed my sword under my jacket.

I was better with archery, but I didn't have a bow. And I didn't want to bring attention to myself with water.

I waited in silence for the minotaur, silently wondering if I had ditched my shoes on the sidewalk for nothing, and then it happened.

The sound of running made me turn quickly, and his horns were aimed at me, thinking it would catch me of guard.

But, while it wasn't smart enough to know I already knew about him, he was smart enough not to give me a place where I could kill him without getting killed myself.

I took a swipe at his legs and ducked away, making him let out a horrible scream, and his golden blood stained the sidewalk. But my blade didn't do as well on him as I wished it had. He could still run, though not as fast and not with so much power. But his anger supplemented that.

He charged after me again, and I tried to remember everything my father had ever taught me.

I remembered one thing he told me when I was a little girl, "Distract them until you can get a good chance. Don't take too much of a risk when you can wait."

I had always thought he meant it in more than just a fighting way, but I was only going to focus on that part of it.

While dodging him again, I didn't run fast enough. His horn hit the very edge of my side, making me scream. Without even realizing it, my sword hit his horn, and it knocked half of one off. The horn landed with a thud, and the minotaur lost his focus on me to look at half of his horn and get used to it no longer being on his head.

Now he was angry, but so was I.

I was already taking my advantage, moving to where I could try to cut off his head, but he wheeled around too fast for me to make a clean kill.

I couldn't let him live though, not when he wanted me dead so much now.

With a fast stab to his stomach, he let out a loud yelp and fell to his cut knees, and I took that time to try for his neck so I could get a faster, more humane kill. But he moved too fast, and I cut off his other horn completely. Another yelp, though this one was more for pride. Now he seemed to let it go, and I tried again for his head.

The head came rolling off, and I took a deep breath as I watched the body disintegrate.

My side hurt like Hades, and I could feel little cuts all over the same side other than the big one.

My legs could barely support my weight with the pain, and I got on the ground, reaching to my jacket in hopes that I still had that little square of ambrosia I picked up from my room. But I didn't feel it, and my blood just kept coming out.

My tears were falling, and I wondered if this was how I would die.

Not being able to get up and bleeding out over time because no one found me.

"Need Ambrosia?"

My head whipped around to see Chester, the Angel of Darkness himself appearing through the shadows.

I wanted to be angry, but I wanted that ambrosia more.

I nodded quickly, and he threw a little baggie with a square to me. I quickly ate it, and I felt the heat wash over me as it fixed my side. I was afraid as I looked to my side, and I saw that, while I still had a few little cuts, the big one was gone.

I took a sigh of relief as I looked up to Chester.

_Now_ I could be angry.

"Were you there the _entire_ time?" my anger began to bubble up as I looked at him.

"Not the entire time. I got here right before he stabbed you," he shrugged, coming to help me off the ground. I begrudgingly took his help.

"And you didn't think to _help_."

"You had things under control. You didn't need my help."

My anger seemed to evaporate, though I wished it hadn't.

I still wanted to be mad at him.

I had always wanted someone to know that I could take care of myself, and he did.

"Yeah, I did," I crossed my arms, and I pressed over the seashell on the hilt of the sword, and it turned into a seashell ring.

It was a gift from Uncle Tyson.

"Cool sword," Chester smirked.

I didn't say anything, I just started off towards the hotel.

"Oh come on, don't be like that," he smiled.

"Be like what?"

"Such a sourpuss. You're fine, don't be so annoyed," Chester smiled even wider, putting his hands in his pockets.

I rolled my eyes, and he his lips turned into a smirk, prepared to annoy me.

"Turn that frown upside down, Charlie. We're in Vegas!" he put his arm around me.

I did my best not to blush, but I had never been good at that.

I was Percy Jackson's daughter after all.

"If you keep pouting, you'll look like Aiden," he rolled his eyes with a smirk, but his smirk didn't have the same vivacity. He really didn't like Aiden.

"What is it with you two? Why do you hate him so much?"

Aiden didn't really do anything worth hating.

I mean, there were things about him that could drive you crazy, but nothing that could make you hate him. He was great to talk to, even if he didn't talk too much. He was secretly sweet underneath the soldier mentality. And he could make you laugh your head off.

"Why do I hate him so much? That is a very good question, one I cannot answer. I guess the thing I hate about him is how he is so Aiden."

"So you just hate Aiden, no reason why."

"Exactly. Who needs logic when you can just have hatred?"

I let out a laugh and shrugged.

"If that's how you feel."

"What I can't get is why _you_ like him."

"He's a nice guy, Chester."

"Oh, a _nice guy_. Praise indeed," Chester smirked.

I playfully shoved him.

"He is."

"Come on, he barely speaks. He barely laughs. He doesn't really tell you _anything_. And he gives that look, like he is imagining every way to kill you."

I rolled my eyes.

"You know he does it."

He did, but only to Chester.

"Only to _you_."

"Yeah, but I get that. He is jealous of my awesomeness."

I laughed loudly this time.

"Hey, I _am_ awesome! My awesomeness is no laughing matter."

"Oh, yes, you are so awesome."

"And that wasn't sarcasm."

"Seriously, you are, Chester. I am not being sarcastic."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Scouts honor."

"Just because you are dressed like a Girl Scout doesn't mean you are one, Charlie."

I shoved him.

"A hot girl scout if that makes you feel any better," Chester laughed.

I blushed and shoved him harder.

"By the way, did Thin Mints come with that dress?"

"You are digging your own grave, Chester Raven."

_**Kate,**_

Despite the fact that there was no music, I just kept dancing to my room, the tequila and vodka taking their revenge on me. My brain didn't seem to be functioning, and I didn't care. I had lost my shoes somewhere, but I couldn't remember where. I had lost my bracelet, but I didn't care about that either.

Nothing seemed to matter.

I didn't know where my brother was. Had no clue where Hermes or Angelique went. And I barely knew where I was.

None of this made a difference to me though.

Even without the large consumption of alcohol, I was drunk of something else.

Noah.

I wasn't sure why he had stuck by my side tonight when he could have easily had any girl he wanted in the club, but I loved him for it. I couldn't remember a time where we had more fun, danced this much, or even _drank _this much.

Honestly, I couldn't really remember any time when I drank this much, with or without Noah.

But it would make a pretty good memory that Noah was with me, especially since he was just as trashed and wouldn't remember the bad parts of this moment. Well, it would be a pretty good memory if we actually _remember_ this later.

That I couldn't really tell.

As I opened the door to my room, I stopped dancing to run up and jump on the bed, which Noah did as well.

I couldn't remember how long it had been since I had been jumping on a bed.

I was pretty sure it hadn't been since the sleepover my friend, Livi, threw a week before we graduated high school. We went all out with the cliché sleepover stuff. We all wore embarrassing pajamas, complained about exes, prankcalled, went on Omegle even, danced to boy bands, had a pillow fight, and jumped on beds. The next morning, we all cried and realized we were growing up, and we dulled it with donuts and waffles drowned in syrup.

But this was a whole lot more fun without a bunch of girls crowding around me, especially Kimmy who was complaining about her ex-boyfriend who broke up with her after announcing he was going to college in Florida.

I giggled uncontrollably, and that made Noah laugh even more at me.

Finally, we couldn't handle laughing so much, and we finally collapsed on the bed, laughing even louder.

"Oh my gods, Sam was right! This is_ awesome_!" Noah laughed.

I giggled loudly like a hyper little girl, and Noah just kept laughing at me.

"I-I-I sound l-like I'm a-a little kid!" I was laughing so much that I could barely finish a word, let alone a sentence.

"You do!" he held his stomach he was laughing so much.

"Shut up!" I hit his chest, and he kept laughing as he grabbed my hand like my hits were nothing more than a pat on the back. He laced his fingers through mine, and I forgot my anger and even my giggles.

"I'm glad you came with me tonight," Noah rubbed my knuckle with his thumb.

"I am, too," I smiled.

"We should do this in New York," Noah's voice seemed a little scared. We had too much to drink to hide things in our voice, and I suddenly realized how much he had missed me, too.

And I was too drunk to stop talking.

"Why did we stop talking?" I got on my stomach and leaned on my elbows, though I still managed to hold his hand.

"I don't know," he pushed my hair out of my eyes and behind my ear.

That was what we always said, what we had always said, and what we probably would always say.

"I don't know," we would start, "we just did."

Then we would probably go on about how life just took us in different paths. We were in different circles, different places in our life, and just forgot to talk one day and another day and just kept that going. It was a cheat sheet version of what happened, I guess.

We _were_ in different circles. We _were_ in different places in life. And, one day, we just didn't talk and that just kept growing to days and weeks and months. But we didn't forget.

No, my moment wasn't that simple. I was crying and felt my heart break as I decided to push Noah away and stop loving him.

But then Noah shocked me, and he shook his head.

"No, I know what happened. You stopped calling, and I decided to give you up," he ran a hand through my hair, and my eyes widened.

"You-You gave me up? W-Why?"

"B-Because…"

Not even the liquid courage could get these words off his lips, and I sucked in a deep breath as I took it as my turn to be courageous.

_One, two_, I took a deep, frightened breath, _three_.

I leaned down and I kissed Noah, running my fingers through Noah's hair, and I felt my heart stop as I waited for him to kiss back.

Noah's arms wrapped tight around me, and, though we were both sloppy from too much drinking, the kiss was perfect.

But Noah pulled away, and the shots from tonight suddenly came back to haunt me as I felt sudden fatigue.

I put my head down on his chest, and he wrapped his arm around me tightly as we began to fall asleep.

_Please, please,_ I began to pray as I fell asleep, _Don't let me block out tonight._

_**Noah,**_

I was pried from my perfect, _perfect_ dream, and I woke up to the worst pounding hangover I had ever had. My head hurt, my body ached, I was tired, and I felt like I might puke. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed with a bottle of Tylenol and a pillow over my head.

I finally understood what Sam was always complaining about when he said no speaking in the apartment when he had a hangover. I had never had this much to drink, and I most certainly had _never_ had a hangover this torturous.

I was about to reach for a pillow and cover my face with it to get away from the blinding morning light. But then I felt something heavy on my chest, and my arm was wrapped around something tight, though my head hurt too much to function and tell what it was.

My eyes began to blink open, and I hissed at the sunlight. It took me a moment to look past the horrible, _blinding_ light, but I managed it somehow, even if it did kind of hurt.

I looked down to see Kate.

Her brown curls were everywhere, going all over my chest. Her arms were wrapped around me, and she was still wearing her dress from last night, though she seemed to have lost her shoes, bracelet, and a few other accessories. I couldn't tell if it was deliberate or a mistake.

I smiled to myself, and I forgot a little bit of my pain. Not a lot but enough.

As I began to try to go back to sleep, I began to gently think back to the night before, though the memories were kind of choppy.

I remembered _Martin_, not that this was really a good thing to remember. I remembered dancing, and I remembered that I held her closer than usual. There wasn't as much space between us. There wasn't as much of a divider between topics we could and couldn't touch. And things were just more… _fun_.

I didn't much remember how we got back to the penthouse, why or even when we left, or where the people who went with us were at that time. But I remembered going to Kate's room, which I realized I was still in. I remembered jumping on the bed mainly because I hadn't jumped on the bed since I was about eight or nine. And then I remembered talking.

I wasn't completely sure what we were talking about. I just remembered that I was holding her hand and that she got on her elbows to talk to me better.

After that, everything became crystal clear.

I remembered that Kate asked me why we stopped talking, and I used the typical line of I didn't know.

That was what I always said, what _we_ always said. We always pretended that we didn't know. We used the line of "Life just tore us apart" that we had been doing since we first lost touch. But I knew that wasn't true, at least for me.

I gave Kate up.

I decided that she didn't love me and that she should be happy, and I knew I deserved to be happy, too. And I couldn't be happy as I watched her with someone else, and I knew that I would probably get as desperately unhappy as to try to stop it. And Kate had always trusted me. She listened to me, and she would listen to me then.

I couldn't do that to her, and I couldn't do that to me.

So I guess I just… let her go.

I wasn't sure what Kate had decided. Maybe she thought I didn't want to see her. Or life got in her way. Or maybe she even gave me up, too. I wasn't sure.

But, this time, I didn't use the typical line when she asked.

I had too much too drink to think of a new lie, and liquid courage was going through me. So I told her the truth. I told her that I gave her up, and I could remembering her eyes widening as she asked what I meant. That was when my courage ran out.

And it seemed that Kate's courage ran high…

I took a sharp breath in as I realized what happened last night.

_I-I k-kissed Kate…_

My eyes flew open, though it made me wince, and I looked at her as I remembered what happened last night completely.

Did she feel the same way or was she acting with the liquor we had that night? Was it Liquid Courage to do something she had always wanted to (like me) or was she just doing something because she was drunk?

… Would she even remember?

My fear was running high, and it heightened as Kate began to stir and her eyes began to blink open.

_Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…._ I began to freak out.

Her eyes opened, though squinted out of pain for the bright light.

"Oh hey, Noah," she blushed, and she sat up, pulling away from me.

Instantly, I could tell she didn't remember, but I wanted to be sure.

I wasn't completely sure I even wanted her to remember.

Well, I wanted her to remember if she had the same feelings I did. If she felt only brotherly love for me I _didn't_.

"Hey, we might have had a little too much fun last night," I laughed, holding my head, and I wanted for her to mention the kiss.

"Yeah."

She ruffled her hair.

"Gods, what did we drink? I feel horrible."

I nodded, still slightly waiting for her response to the big part of last night.

Nothing.

"Hey, what happened after started jumping on the bed?"

I couldn't tell if she was testing me or really didn't know.

"What do you mean?"

"I forgot. I remember talking, I think. But nothing after that. Did we fall asleep?"

My heart sank. I guess I wouldn't know.

"Yeah, basically."

Kate nodded.

"I think I'm going to go back to sleep," Kate pulled on the sheets and began to slide into bed, but, even though I wanted to, I knew I couldn't go back to sleep now.

"I'm going to go get a shower," I got up, and I ruffled my hair as I began to walk out of her room.

_So, I went out last night. I kissed Kate and fell asleep with her in my arms. And then she didn't even remember…_

_**This chapter didn't go exactly as well as I thought it would, but it wasn't my worst.**_

_**I know, I am cruel. They kissed, it happened, things were great, and then she didn't freaking remember. But Noah does, so some stuff might just happen later ;-) I was actually going to have just an "almost kiss" but started writing, and it just kinda took off, you know?**_

_**But I really wanted to include that Charlie is kind of getting closer to Chester.**_

_**Oh, and I have been thinking of writing something over PG. I can see the place to kind of go with it after it, and I know the words to write. But, at the same time, I guess I am a little afraid of the reaction. I know that one day I will write a little more "Grown Up" story, but I don't think this is it and that day is not today. **_

_**Anyway, see you soon! And have an awesome SPRING BREAK! ;-D**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Charlie,**_

As we were all coming down for "Breakfast", it was more time for lunch than anything else. Though it was already noon, we were still just as tired as if we were getting up for pancakes at the break of dawn.

Even though I got in much earlier than those who went out, I knew that I probably stayed up just as long. After sneaking out and finding myself being stabbed by a minotaur, I decided that it was time to get back to the hotel with Chester, even if I wasn't exactly seen on his company when he first started walking with me.

But, somehow, like always, Chester turned things around. I wondered if he used magic to make us forgive him so readily and make him seem so inviting, and I began to even watch to see if he was using the mist. I didn't see anything though, and it just seemed that he was charismatic.

After we got back to the penthouse and I changed out of my blood-stained dress, instead of getting the sleep we probably should have, we went to the media room and ended up watching movies for the next few hours. When I was finally getting in bed, I was pretty sure I heard someone dancing in the hallway, which probably meant someone was getting home.

I didn't sleep long, I got the message from Hermes that breakfast would be served soon and to get ready. Not wanting to make Hermes mad, I got up, and I changed into a pair of jeans and an owl tee shirt. I was too lazy to really do anything with my hair or make-up, so I just came down stairs and took my seat.

Hermes was already down there, and he had no sign of any hangover once so ever. In fact, he was busy with work on his cell phone when I got to the table.

The next person to arrive didn't look as good.

Sam was so hungover I was surprised he could even walk. His blonde hair had bedhead, and his eyes were hidden by a pair of Raybands. He was wearing clean and fresh clothes, and he didn't look dirty or disgusting. And he still had different marks of red lipstick all over his neck.

He sat down beside Hermes, and didn't speak. He just took an Advil with his coffee and sat there.

Chester came in next, and he looked pretty tired as well. His hair wasn't in its usual style, though it still had some traces of the style the night before. His eyes were tired, but he still had a smirk on his lips. He was wearing a tee shirt with a skull and crossbones and old faded black jeans. Even then, he looked adorable.

Noah was the fifth person to sit at the table. He sat beside Sam though he had been saving me yesterday by sitting beside me. He didn't say much, and he was hungover, though not as badly or as clearly as Sam. His hair was still wet from a shower, and he looked sad.

Kate was the fifth, sitting across from Noah beside me. She looked like the rest of us, tired and freshly cleaned and dressed. She also looked sad, but she was trying to hide it by playing a horrible hangover.

Aiden was the last of our group to arrive, and he put us all to shame.

He was rested and pretty happy. He was newly out of the shower, but his hair was dried. His tattoo on the back of his neck was visible with his tee shirt, though the tattoo on his arm was hidden by the long sleeves, and he was tall, handsome, and seemed to almost be even beaming this morning. His smile was so contagious it even made me smile, but that perfect smile faded whenever Chester nonchalantly made a remark about how much fun it was to stay up watching movies with me last night.

Noah was so out of it he didn't even seem to hear…

Angelique was the last awaited guest, and not even she shone too brightly this morning. Her make-up was dulled and less dramatic than usual. Her hair was in a braided bun, and she was wearing what to her was a casual outfit of a shimmering Greek gown.

I smiled to myself as I thought of the state the dress she had forced me to wear was in. It was tattered, torn, and stained with my blood. It now resided in the bottom of my trash can in my room, and I was still trying to think of a way to make sure she would find it without my brother finding out that I sneaked out.

"Well, we are all here," Hermes smiled, hanging up the phone midsentence and leaving a guy to probably be pretty angry, and he motioned for breakfast to be served.

We each got our favorites. Noah and I got French Toast, our favorite meal that our dad made (he did the cooking in our family). Kate got waffles, which was no shocker. Sam was blessed with foods promising to help his hangover. And I didn't really pay much attention to what anyone else got because I was too focused on my own French Toast.

Breakfast was decidedly silent amongst certain people. Sam didn't want to talk (no big shocker there). Aiden and Chester were too busy glaring at each other to speak, and Noah and Kate didn't speak much either. Only Hermes seemed to keep conversation alive.

I kept looking between Noah and Kate.

Noah stared mostly at his food, looking truly pitiful. Kate just kept picking at her food, barley able to eat and continuously checking up to look at Noah.

_What happened last night?_ I wondered, _Oh gods, did they-?_

I would have been happy about this if they didn't look so pathetic right now.

Maybe they weren't happy that they _didn't_?

I couldn't tell, and I knew it was take a whole lot of meddling to ever find out. For now though, I was forced to focus on my own life instead of messing with my brother's.

My eyes kept looking to Aiden, who looked like he might just break his fork in half, and I particularly watched his tattoo on his neck, waiting to see if wings would sprout. He told me that he usually could control it, but adrenaline and stress could force it. And Aiden definitely looked stress…

It almost felt funny that I knew him that well. That he went from that hot shirtless guy with the tattoos to a guy that I actually knew. And, while I had learned so much about him, I also was against a brick wall where I couldn't learn any more about him, and there was a whole lot more to Aiden Cinna.

As I sat there, I was losing track of what conversation was going on, who was doing what, and even what I was even eating. I just lost myself in my thoughts. I thought about Aiden, how I knew him. I thought about Chester, how easy he was to get along with. I thought about last night when I ran into him, and I thought about Charleston with Aiden.

I was torn, and I just kept thinking back to my mother's love advice that was dished out every now and then. I always asked her about when she and my father were young, and I asked her about the whole thing with Luke. It took her a while to tell me about Luke. When I asked about my middle name (my full name was Charlotte Lucia Jackson), she said Luke was a hero who she knew as a young person. My dad used to tell me stories of his quests as a little kid to put me to sleep, but he didn't bring up Luke. They waited until I was about ten, and then they told me everything. I always wondered how she just knew to pick my father after everything with Luke, and she told me that she just _knew_.

Back then, I loved that idea.

That love just took over and she knew. That she knew that this was the guy, that there was just this moment when she knew he was the one. That she went on from this moment to marry him and raise two children with him.

Now, that moment seemed even crazier and even more romantic now that I was reaching what I hoped would be a similar moment.

"So, I do hope you will be staying with us tonight," Hermes smiled at us, and Sam shocked us all by speaking up.

"We've got to get going, but thank you. You have shown us a wonderful time."

Hermes nodded sadly, but he understood.

"After breakfast, let's discuss business in the office."

Angelique looked back to Aiden, and I noticed happily that she was over it.

From what she had been bragging about, she had met a wonderful businessman at the club last night that she absolutely adored. His name was Martin or something, and she had been going on about him. Kate and Noah's interest had been captured by this, and I assumed Kate knew him particularly because she did the best not to laugh.

Breakfast passed slowly after that, and I just kept wondering what Hermes would have to tell us. Hera had told us that we needed to go to him, but neither had been able to tell us why.

And now we were going to find out…

When all of our plates were cleared, small talk over, and Angelique bored with us all, we finally were let loose. Aiden disappeared back upstairs to get ready to leave just as soon as he could, and Chester was right behind him. The older kids were all walking towards Hermes's office, and Sam raised his eyebrows as he noticed I was following.

Sam nodded, a small smile on his lips, and he motioned for me to go ahead of him.

"That's my girl," he ruffled my hair.

I smiled wide, and Sam looked towards Noah and Kate.

"I'm gonna get packed up, relax you know. I've have big headache."

Kate, who had been out of it all morning for more than just a hangover, smiled at me, and Noah, who had been in a depressed fog as well, let out a small brotherly smile.

I hadn't seen it in a while, that perfect proud sibling smile. As a little kid, I always got it. He was always proud of me, even when I wasn't proud of myself. One of those smiles from Noah could light up your world and boost your confidence for about week, and I used to get them about everyday.

During this quest, he wasn't as happy. He was stressed, surrounded by problems, and worrying even about his love life. But he seemed happier in some ways today. He still had a big cloud sitting on top of him, but he seemed to realize that I wasn't dead yet. That he wasn't looking at a walking corpse. That I still had a chance.

As Sam walked towards the staircase, I followed Kate and Noah, who walked closer to me, into the office.

_**Noah,**_

Nothing could snap me out.

Last night, I was on cloud nine. I know it was only a kiss. A sloppy, drunk kiss that was short because my drinking was coming back to get me and I basically passed out asleep afterwards.

But it was Kate. It was the girl I had been in love with for years, the one I adored. The one I loved more than just about anything in the world, the girl of my dreams. And the girl I knew I could never be with. She saw me as her second big brother. Her childhood best friend. And the little boy who taught her how to play soccer in his backyard.

For a moment, everything was perfect. My life seemed easier. Stress seemed to evaporate. The quest, life afterwards, and the worries just seemed to disappear out of my mind. I could see a life with Kate just on the horizon, it was even what I dreamed about that night.

And then I woke up.

I fell from grace.

Everything just slipped away.

That kiss. That sloppy, drunk kiss may as well not even happened if Kate didn't remember it. Suddenly, I wasn't even sure if she meant it. She didn't say anything, she didn't say she loved me. She just kissed me, and we were both completely drunk. She could have just kissed a guy because she wanted a kiss, and I happened to be the one there.

My worries were back. My life seemed _harder_. Stress got worse. The quest, life afterwards, and the worries of everything became more apparent in my mind. I could still see a life with Kate, but it was one of those day dreams you know will never come true, like when you daydream about marrying your favorite famous crush.

How could something so perfect, so amazing, so right just disappear when the sun came up?

I wondered if she even did really not remember or if she did and didn't want to address it. If that was true, was it because she wasn't sure if I really loved her or if she didn't love me and didn't want to bring that subject up and cause problems?

If I had any sign, I would just sum up my courage and tell her. I felt how perfect it could be, how happy I would be if I was with Kate.

But I didn't have a sign. If I told her now, I could ruin everything. I might lose Kate forever. And it could cause the biggest rift the family as ever seen, which is really saying something. We would separate our family. Charlie would have to see us separately and not tell us, and she might even lose talking to Kate, which would crush her.

I couldn't screw things up, I couldn't take that chance.

If anything, for Charlie…

With all of this to worry about, it was hard to focus on anything but that. I did everything to try to focus on Charlie and her quest. But it wasn't until I found that Charlie had decided to come with us to Hermes's office, taking Sam's place, that I was able to shift my attention back to the person who deserved it, my little sister Charlie.

This was her quest. Her life on the line. And my little sister's life was a bit more of a concern than my doomed love life.

With Kate and Charlie with me, we went into Hermes's office.

He was already at his desk, closing his thin laptop and closing his cell phone as well. He went into his office immediately, and he was now dressed for work. He was wearing professional clothing, and his face was even more serious.

He motioned towards the chairs, and we all sat, Charlie sitting closer to me, and I did the best not to hold her hand like I used to when I knew she was scared.

"You know of my recent… _delivery_ difficulties," Hermes made a face.

He had taken time off to raise his little baby, Angelique. He bought a casino in Las Vegas, and he moved with his daughter there. They made this their primary residence. Angelique had other minor gods to mingle with, but Hermes got to raise her without "Olympus" influence.

He hired more for his company, and he wasn't very happy with it.

"Well, I am having trouble with one client. Aphrodite commissioned a painting from her artist ex-boyfriend who she made immortal during a fling. The fling itself didn't last long, but she thought they would be together forever and made him immortal after their daughter, Weslin, was born. They ended badly, and they don't speak anymore. He didn't like making a painting for her, but it was best for Weslin or something. Long story short, he wants Aphrodite to be the bigger person and pick it up, especially to see their immortal daughter who hasn't seen her in centuries. And Aphrodite is currently having a fling with Apollo and doesn't really want to see her ex because it reminds her of how horrible it is that he is no longer the hopeless romantic she fell in love with or something. I don't know."

Hermes shrugged with a roll of his eyes.

"Enough with the backstory. You need to see Aphrodite. And she is so consumed with her new boyfriend, Apollo, that she doesn't want to see _anyone_. She thinks its _love._ And she just _knows _that this relationship will be different and that it will work this time, though she has said that the _seven_ times they were together."

I tried not to laugh at the thought of Apollo in love.

"And, if you can get the painting from Azul, you can get to Aphrodite," Hermes leaned back in his office chair, silently asking if we would accept.

"Where is Azul?" Charlie spoke up with the question I was right about to ask.

Hermes smiled wide, knowing we would do it.

"Here," Hermes reached into his office drawer, and he pulled out a thin white smartphone, "This has Azul's address in the contacts. And keep it as a gift. It doesn't let monsters track you or anything. _And _it has a fabulous camera for pictures on Instabook? FaceGram? Anyway, I'm sure you'll love it. I am selling models like it in a few months. I am about to start the ad campaign. You don't mind if I use your picture, do you? You're beautiful, just like your mother. How would you like to be the new face of my electronic line? We can get in touch later for that."

_**Kate,**_

I watched as Las Vegas disappeared in the rearview mirror. We were on our way to Utah to find Azul, and I was happy to be leaving Vegas behind.

I wished I could leave last night, too. I remembered most of the night.

I remembered how uncomfortable I was taking off my jacket at the club, though my dress definitely wasn't the tightest or the shortest by far. I remembered how Noah made me feel okay again, and I remembered how I found myself separated from Sam and Noah and introduced to a handsome businessman named Martin.

It was a crystal clear memory to me of how Noah appeared and acted very jealous and very determined that I was going to ditch Martin. Then I remembered when we seemed to be back to normal, to the way we were before. Maybe it was just us being us or alcohol letting us put down our walls and be us again. I couldn't tell, but I remembered that we had fun.

We laughed at my older brother. We danced. We talked. We just had fun.

But it was better than before. We danced closer than ever before. We talked more. We were having more fun and basking more in the presence of each other than ever before.

It was perfect. It was the moment I dreamed about for years.

I could suddenly see a future for the two of us. I could see something growing. I could see me not running away this time. I could see us doing this again in New York. I could see us getting closer and closer as he fell in love with me and I got ready to tell him how much I loved him. And I could see us… together.

I remembered going up to the penthouse, though it was a little foggy. I remembered that I was doing an embarrassing little dance to my room, and I remembered that I jumped on the bed for the first time in _years_.

Then things got hazy. I couldn't really remember. I remembered that we were talking, and that I had this big sudden urge to kiss him, though I couldn't remember why or what prompted it. And then everything completely blacked out.

And that had me scared. Worried. And a little bit relieved.

Well, I _would_ have been relieved.

If Noah wasn't acting so weird, so depressed, and so completely distant around me. He seemed kind of happy this morning, but that smile turned into frown fast. He didn't mention anything he remembered, but it seemed like he wasn't bringing up something.

And I would have brought it up, stopped being so scared. I really wanted to. I wanted to stop having to hide things like this. It killed me.

I might have if it hadn't been like that. If Noah hadn't been so sad, so distant, and acting like something big happened.

I wondered if I kissed him, if I screwed things up.

It was all I could think of.

My phone kept buzzing with emails, but it didn't really register with me. I didn't want to talk, to my online penpal or my friends in the car.

I was sitting beside Charlie. She didn't want to be beside Aiden or Chester, not right now anyway. We didn't speak. No one in the car really did. Noah and Aiden were in the front seat, and Noah stayed silent. Aiden didn't speak much either, but that was a usual thing for him, especially when he was driving. Chester was in the back with Sam, who happened to be passed out. Chester was not speaking either. His headphones were in, and his sunglasses perched on his nose, which meant he wasn't paying attention.

The only sound in the car was a faint hum of the engine and the radio.

Before, I might have wanted to break the tension. I would have tried to make the car ride at least slightly enjoyable, if not fun.

But Vegas took its toll on us.

Noah and I weren't speaking. Something happened last night. I didn't know, and he wouldn't tell me.

Sam got drunk, hooked up with some girl, and ditched her in the wee hours. He was hungover and exhausted. He had too much fun, and he was paying for it the next morning.

Something happened with Charlie and Chester last night. They seemed closer, had some inside jokes, and just seemed easier with each other.

And Aiden noticed, and he seemed almost heartbroken.

Charlie was confused and didn't want to think about anything.

The car ride was long, and it was longer with the silence. But I wanted it longer.

I wanted things to disappear.

I felt it again, the need to leave. The need to turn off my cell phone. To skip family dinners to see Noah again. To create a new life. To be a different Kate. To say goodbye again. To go back to school and escape through books, parties, and new friends. To find a new guy and convince myself that Noah is just a fantasy, like when you fall in love with a celebrity. To secretly get up at three in the morning and check Noah's Facebook page to see how he is, if he is seeing someone, and even if he is happy…

I saw everything starting over. I saw myself getting in the car and driving back to my dorm at the end of the summer with Adriane, my roommate, laughing about how she didn't hook up with her crush, Noah, this summer. I saw an awkward goodbye where Noah and I promise to call but never did. I saw years passing by again. I saw a future for Noah without me in it and a future for me where he isn't there but I wish he was. And I didn't see a miraculous second chance this time.

I knew that, if I walked away this time, it would be forever.

I needed time to think, and I guess I had it.

But I also needed to cry. I needed a bottle of something (_anything_) strong, and I just needed to stare at a wall for a few hours. But I was in a car…

My phone buzzed under my leg again, and I finally found the strength to look at it.

**Your Youtube Subscriptions Have Updated**, blinked on my screen to my surprise, and I looked through my other messages. Other emails and a few texts from Adriane and other college friends.

_He didn't email…_

I guess this was when I needed him most, but it was also the time I didn't want him. I felt how perfect it was with Noah, and I wasn't sure I could settle for anything less.

But, even if I didn't want him right now, I _did_ need him.

I guess I could tell him everything, and I knew that I probably should. This was how we did things, how we grew closer together. He was my closest confidant. But I didn't write about my confusion or my wish for space.

I didn't want to be Kate right now, I wanted to be Pixar.

And Kate had problems.

Pixar was okay….

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**Long car rides? Bad.**

**Awkward silence? Bad.**

**A hangover? Bad.**

**Add it all together, and you have my current situation.**

**So, how is your day going?**

**-Pixar**

* * *

_**So during my break, I have been focusing on different things than this. Thinking about turning this into a book (that would be kinda cool, wouldn't it? I get a pretty good reaction, I think it could do well. I might even want to take away the gods, make Charlie the granddaughter of important tycoons). I have been working on my own book. Enjoying my vacation (which feels weird because my trips to Orlando are usually busy with Disney and other theme parks, but we are with my grandparents and remain pretty lazy and do nothing). I have been working on a story I kind of abandoned a while before. It has a good plot and idea, but I am still kind of just coming and going working on I have been working on what I like to do but usually don't have much time for, making Sims videos. I am working on a new one, and I am almost done. I put out an old one that I have kept around to occasionally work with, but it is actually pretty good. **_**The Way I Loved You**_** is the title, and you will love it if you liked my earlier videos.**_

_**A lot more to add, I guess, but I really just want to go to bed.**_

_**So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will admit that I am a little mad about the whole kiss thing, and I admit I wasn't going to do that. It wasn't in my plan, but it just kinda happened when I was writing. And I just kept it. But I guess I can't really apologize because it won't make you feel any better ;-)**_

**-HAWTgeek-**


	24. She Came Swiftly

_**Charlie,**_

It wasn't a very long drive to the small town in Utah that the artist Azul had called home for the last twenty years. From what Hermes's had left us in his cell phone (yes, he left an entire backstory for us), Azul owned many homes where he considered it the most beautiful. He wanted to always be surrounded by beauty, and nature fascinated him and his daughter, Weslin.

Azul was a Greek prince from long ago, and he went by a different name back then, though none of us knew it. He was known far and wide for his beauty and his skill with the paint brush. A princess with enough money and a chance for him to get to the throne (which he didn't want but his family did) liked him enough to want his hand in marriage, and Azul was sent for. In her country, he met Aphrodite, and they embarked on a relationship.

They loved each other, and Aphrodite loved him so much that she turned him immortal. She gave him the life of a god, and they were thrilled when she found out she was pregnant. But real life set in when little Weslin was born, and they found themselves as different people in the end. Azul wanted to be there for his daughter. It was his only child, and he adored her. He wanted to be present in her life. Aphrodite wanted to continue living as they did before, wildly in love and living freely. Azul wanted a wife, and Aphrodite wanted a lover.

Not long after this discovery, Azul was still living on his private Greek island, and he still had the life of a god. He still had his baby girl, but Aphrodite was dressed and getting in her chariot with her bags, kissing little Weslin goodbye and setting off to make nice with her husband.

Centuries and centuries past, and Azul and Aphrodite still hadn't worked out any issues. In fact, they kept mounting. As Aphrodite kept ignoring their immortal daughter, Weslin, Azul got more and more angry. The angrier Azul got, the less he came. Nothing was fixed, and nothing showed any hope.

Tension mounted, and it was all coming to a head because of this painting.

I wasn't exactly happy that I was being sent on an errand to go and pick up a painting for a bickering ex-couple, but it was better than staying in Vegas. So far, I had seen nothing good that had happened in Vegas.

When I first got there, I met Angelique. Bad thing number one. Then there was the dress incident. Bad thing number two. Something happened at the club. Bad thing (or possibly good thing) number three. I went out and got attacked by a minotaur. Bad thing number four. Noah and Kate aren't speaking. Bad thing number five. And Aiden isn't speaking to me. Bad thing number six.

Yes, some good stuff happened, but I wasn't in the mood to think about the good aspects. Only silence took my attention.

Noah and Kate's silence. Aiden and Chester's silence. Aiden's silence _period_. And even Sam's silence was bothering me now.

It wasn't a silence that just blended in. It wasn't even an awkward silence. It was the deafening kind of silence, the kind that spoke a million words. It was unbearable, and your head tried to fill it, which was worse.

Aiden, Chester, my quest, Noah, and Kate swirled all together in my head until I felt dizzy.

"Let's stop. I need coffee," Sam pulled down his sunglasses and looked to Noah, "We've got to be almost out of gas."

Noah looked down for a moment, as if weighing his options, and he finally nodded, pulling over into a gas station.

We all piled out, happy not to be surrounded by each other and the silence. Noah pulled out his cell phone, and Kate slowly started for the store, not wanting to stick around with him. Sam had his sunglasses back on, and he was doing his typical cocky strut as he went into the store, Chester following him. Aiden was faster than all of them, making a beeline and ignoring all of us.

I hurried after him, struggling to keep up.

But, finally, Aiden ran out of room to run, and he was stuck staring at the assortment of coke products in the back. As I got closer, I realized how bad he really was. His jaw was tightened, his fists clenched, and his tattoo on his neck beginning to glow through his shirt.

I felt sick, and I realized that I did this to him…

I wanted to end it right then, to get him… better again. To make us better again. To go back to the way we were when we first met. When we were just… friends. When Aiden was just the hot guy with the tattoos…

But I couldn't tackle it.

"Hey," I moved to where I was standing beside him, and my eyes stayed determinedly on the drinks. But I could feel his eyes on me, and I could feel the lack of our usual peace.

My eyes shot to him as he was turning his head back to the drinks, and I could tell that they were a little more… broken. A little more defeated. A little sadder…

Now I felt like I might throw up.

"So, we are near Azul, right?" his tone was full business, and I realized that this was his Roman voice.

No, this was _Roman Aiden._

I had watched him transform. No, I _made_ him transform into this.

This was the Roman Aiden. He was on edge. He was broken and filled in the cracks with armor and business. His tattoo always glowed, and his eyes weren't soft like a gentle beach day. They were a stormy ocean, and they showed everything I knew he was feeling.

I suddenly wanted Greek Aiden again.

"Pretty close."

Aiden let the air fill with silence again, and he reached for a coke, turning. I hurriedly picked up a cherry coke, ready to follow him and waiting to think of some sort of apology or just anything that would make us better again.

And then I saw Aiden freeze. The storm left his eyes. His manor calmed. He didn't seem so broken…

"What is it?"

He forgot his anger towards me and motioned for me to follow him, too stunned to speak, and he started walking fast again. He left his drink in a random place, and I did the same to follow him. I had never seen Aiden like this.

He was always… on topic. He was focused.

Now he was absent minded and distracted.

"Where are you going?" I asked as we crossed the street into the downtown area of the cute little town we were in, and I looked back to the gas station. Noah was immersed in his phone, not wanting to notice _anything_ but that.

But Kate was just getting back to the car, and she happened to be desperate to ignore Noah.

_What the Hades happened last night?_ I mentally moaned.

Kate noticed us, and she quickly put her bag down by the car and began to come after us, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.

"Come on," Aiden's hand wrapped around mine, pulling me farther and faster.

I forgot my curiosity as to where he was going, and I just followed.

But it wasn't long until it came back to me?

Was he possessed? Was a monster leading us to our death? Was that why he was so dazed? Did I need to save him?

If I did need to stop him right now, I wasn't doing a very good job…

Aiden took another turn, and his walking was even faster.

Now I was getting _really_ worried.

"Aiden, please. What are you chasing after?"

He was so dazed that he didn't say anything, and I wasn't sure what to do. So, I just kept doing what I was doing before by following after him.

"Aiden? Charlie?" Kate called out, and Aiden tightened his grip on my wrist as he looked back to me quickly.

"Trust me."

So I did.

I just kept going and going.

And then I saw her.

A girl.

It was a girl.

With long black hair.

She was fast.

And I caught a glimpse at her face, though I couldn't discern anything other than she was pretty.

Now I believed Aiden.

So he didn't have to drag me anymore, I kept going on my own, even faster. So fast that Kate had to break her speed walk to become an actual run after us.

And then we took a turn and she was gone.

Aiden and I stopped, our heads turning in every direction to try and see where she was. Kate caught up to us, staring at us like we were insane.

"What the _Hades_ are you two _doing_?" Kate hissed, and Aiden and I didn't answer. We just stood there, turning in every which way to see if we could see her again. But the girl was gone, off into thin air. And Aiden knew her…

"Who was that?" I turned to Aiden, still ignoring Kate, and his frantic eyes finally met mine.

"I-Well, I thought it was-" he looked around again, and suddenly he stopped.

My eyes shot over to the direction he was looking, and I gasped.

There was the girl, strolling in from behind us, a mischievous and proud smile painted on her lips.

"I always was better at getting away than you," she smiled, and I noticed her eyes were focused on Aiden.

_Who is this girl_? I looked back to Aiden and to the girl.

Aiden didn't say anything to me, he just walked over and wrapped her up in a hug.

"Swift, what are you doing here?" Aiden smiled at her, and she just kept on grinning.

"Work. What about you, Baby Brother? Shouldn't you be in Charleston with Daddy?" she smirked.

My eyes widened.

"She's your _sister_?" Kate and I said at the same time.

_**Kate,**_

As we all sat together at a park, I finally had something else to think about instead of Noah.

Swift.

Was that her first name? Her last? Or even just a nickname?

I had no clue. I didn't know _anything_ about Swift. I didn't even know Aiiden had a sister, not even _Charlie_ did.

Well, I knew he had _a_ sister. Apollo had a little problem of not being able to keep it in his pants, and that had resulted in a very large family for his children. But I didn't know that Aiden was close with any of them, or even so much so that he would really see her as a sister.

Romans didn't have the family sense that the Greeks did, probably because they didn't live together at the camp and weren't thrown together and basically forced to love each other like we Greek were. They were siblings, but it was more of just "We have the same father" than "This is my little brother" with them.

But Aiden and Swift were close.

You could tell that just by looking at them.

It wasn't like looking at me and Sam (while we loved each other, we had never been good at the whole sister-brother thing. Noah had always been my brother, not Sam). It was like looking at Noah and Charlie, only without the whole "fatherly" look to it.

Swift and Aiden didn't look alike, but there was just something about them that told you they were siblings. I think it was those Roman eyes. Though they were still friendly (and mischievous in the case of Swift), they were also analytical and poised for war.

Aiden was an angel ready for war. His hair was sandy blonde, and it was in a cute boyish mess. His eyes were as deep and blue as the ocean, and his smile could make girls swoon. And that body had taken _years_ of training to get.

Swift was a little more devious, and it wasn't a contradiction when you said she was ready for war. Her hair was ink black, and it was thick and curly, though Apollo's bloodline had made it pretty much perfect like all Apollo children. Her eyes were blue, but they were more like Noah's, a crystal blue. She was tall and lean, looking about nineteen or maybe older. She had the same tattoos as Aiden with a few more peeking out from her tee shirt and black shorts, though they were trying to hide at least a little.

She reminded me a bit of Aunt Reyna, though I couldn't tell exactly why. Aunt Annabeth and Aunt Reyna became best friends when they were in their twenties, and, while Reyna and Piper hadn't really been in the same room since Aunt Annabeth's and Uncle Percy's wedding, they both loved Annabeth enough to push away their anger for each other at least in her presence.

Reyna and my father had been friends, though not as close as she was to Annabeth. Reyna helped my dad study some of the New Roman architecture, and I was fascinated by her as a little girl. She would always gather the children around and tell us stories of her time with Circe, her time as Praetor, and battle stories. She always made things so interesting.

But, as I got older, I realized that not only her mouth told stories. Reyna's eyes told a story of government, of hard work, and of dedication. They also told of the pain of a hard job that demanded too much from a teenager.

Swift's eyes, though not as easily seen as in Reyna's, had the same quality.

And it made me notice even more the look in Aiden's eyes.

I knew that he was high up in the Roman Government as he was on his way to become Praetor and had been given wings for his service, but it was at this moment I realized how high up.

"So you two are siblings through Apollo?" Charlie asked. I noticed she was sitting closer to Aiden, and he seemed less destroyed than this morning, though that could have been from the happy visit with his sister.

"Yeah, our mom's shared a Baby Daddy," Swift nudged Aiden, "I'm also _older_."

"By _four _years. I'm fifteen, you act like I'm seven."

"Because you'll always be that seven year old missing your two front teeth to me," Swift smiled, and she pinched his cheek while Charlie let out a laugh. Aiden's face turned bright red.

Chester smirked. He was definitely enjoying watching as Aiden got thoroughly embarrassed by his older sister, and it seemed to make up for how pissed he had been when he found out that Charlie chased after Aiden and left him with a guy who wasn't speaking and another who was hung over.

"So, is Swift your real name?" Charlie asked the question I had been wondering about since I first heard her name.

"My last name."

"Her name is _Theodora_," Aiden was taking the chance to embarrass her now, "Though no one in New Rome knew that for _years_. She wouldn't tell _anyone_."

I could tell that she _still_ wouldn't tell anyone and that she didn't really like him telling us now.

"I like the name Theodora," Sam smiled, and I finally really noticed my brother.

He had taken off his sunglasses, bracing the sunlight just to make sure Swift could get the full effect of the Sam magic. He had his seductive and friendly smile painted across his lips, and he was definitely showing his interest in her.

_Of course_.

"I don't," Swift didn't even seem to take any of his attempts in account. No staring at the eyes. No returning a small smile. And absolutely showing no interest in him.

And Sam hated it.

His eyes widened a little bit, and he looked almost confused, as if this was something that had never occurred to him could happen. And it heightened his want for her to like him.

_Oh great, a new girl for Sam to lust over._

But I guess this also made me see Swift in a new light.

She was pretty, _very_ pretty. We were about the same age but completely different.

She was the bad girl that guys like. She didn't smile at them, she didn't really flirt, and I could tell that she had the "play hard to get" thing mastered. Swift had black hair with bright blue eyes, and black was her signature color. She just looked… mysterious.

And I was… Kate. I did smile at them, I suppose I did flirt, and it had taken me a long time to learn to be "hard to get" when it came to guys. My hair was light brown and naturally curly, a trait I got from my mother, and my eyes were a striking Athenian grey. I wasn't sure I had signature color, I just wore what I wore. And I looked… well, again, like Kate.

I already wasn't at the top of my confidence levels today. I was down, I was out, and I could barely speak. Today was certainly _not _my day. And my lack of confidence or even happiness today brought on a sudden scare.

_Is Sam the only one stricken with her?_ I mentally feared, _I-Is Noah?_

I couldn't check, so I just sat there, looking at Swift.

And then I heard his voice.

"So, Swift, what brings you here?" Noah asked, taking on his older brother protectiveness as he looked at her. No seductive smile. No sign of any sort of attraction to her. Nothing.

I did everything in my power not to smile.

Swift let out a smile that told me that everything after that wouldn't be the full truth, that she couldn't really tell us.

"Work."

Aiden understood and didn't press her.

"What about you guys? What brings you to Utah?"

"We're looking for a painter. Azul. Hermes wants us to deliver one of his paintings to Aphrodite."

"His ex?"

My eyes widened at her.

_How did she know that_?

"How did you know?" Charlie asked.

"He did a mural for New Rome a while back. He wouldn't stop talking about how mad he was at her for missing her weekend with Weslin," Swift shrugged, "It reached a point where I would go and visit Weslin if it meant him shutting up."

She laughed, and I let out a smile.

"So, are you busy?" Aiden looked at her, silently asking if work was over or not.

"Yeah, I'll be busy with you. I'm not letting my baby brother suffer through Azul on his own."

Aiden smiled.

_**Noah,**_

The jeep had been the travel car since Sam drove up to school on his sixteenth birthday with a big smile on his face and the jeep. He drove the three of us to school, he drove us to practice, and a group of us from the team would pile into his car for away games.

Sam loved having the travel car that everyone wanted to drive in, which was pretty great since I got annoyed with messy road trips taking place in my car. It had been that way since he was sixteen, and it had continued that way since.

Everyone was always comfortable in the Jeep.

There had never been a space issue in the Jeep. It could hold seven of the guys from the team and their soccer duffels. He basically moved all of his stuff into the new apartment (excluding big furniture he had delivered from where we bought it) in one trip. Sam could fit all that he needed in that car, and it was his baby. He took care of it like it was a child, and he felt more for it than he had for his last few girlfriends combined.

Well, there had never been a space issue in the Jeep until today.

While we were managing alright with six people, luggage, and a few weapons, the seventh person was not as keen on squeezing into the back of the car as a bunch of soccer players were to get to a game.

And the seventh person was already a sensitive subject for Sam.

He liked her. He liked her _a lot_.

And he _didn't_ like that.

Sam had always been the _liked_ one. He got what he wanted with his sultry smile and seductive glance. He had spent years perfecting how to get what he wanted, who he wanted, and how to get it fast. Pesky feelings never really bothered him.

If he actually did like a girl, which did happen I will admit, No matter how long it took, he would get her. They would be happy for a while, but boredom would usually set in not too long afterwards. They would split, and things would move on. It wouldn't be long until we had all really forgotten about her, and it was on to a new chase for Sam.

But, even after just knowing her for a few minutes, I could tell that this wasn't usual.

This wasn't a girl that he would like, date, and leave. The chase wouldn't involve him being motivated by her flirty smiles or anything of that sort. He wanted her, and she made it clear that she had _no interest_ in him once so ever.

She didn't even give Sam the peace of mind from meeting his "magical eyes" that she could like him but be playing hard to get.

So, Sam was already in a bad mood as he climbed into the Jeep's driver's seat, and Swift had to go and make it worse by saying she didn't want to squeeze into the car and would drive her own with Aiden and anyone else who wanted to go.

I could tell Charlie wanted to, but I gave her a glance that made it clear she wasn't going to.

So Kate went instead, which I couldn't decide if I was happy or sad about.

But I had a lot of time to think in the car ride.

Because Swift knew where she was going, we got the cell phone with the directions, and the voice telling us where to go combined with the faint hum of the radio filled the silence.

Sam wasn't speaking.

Chester kept looking at Charlie. He could kind of understand why she chased after Aiden today, even if he didn't like her holding his hand during it. But it was her interest in talking to Swift and smiling with Aiden that was making him angry. He kept looking at her, getting angry that this day of them getting along and having their little inside jokes was fading away.

Chester kept looking at her, silently reminding her that she knew why he wasn't talking to her.

Charlie didn't want to have to explain everything, especially in front of her big brother, so she just pretended she was tired.

In front of us, I could see Swift's sleek black car, and I could see Aiden and Kate laughing.

They were having fun, they were talking.

And we sat in silence, and we _weren't_ having fun.

So I took out my cell phone, and I looked at the email once more.

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**Long car rides? Bad.**

**Awkward silence? Bad.**

**A hangover? Bad.**

**Add it all together, and you have my current situation.**

**So, how is your day going?**

**-Pixar**

I wanted to tell Pixar about the kiss. About how perfect it was and about how she didn't remember the next morning. About how I could barely look at her now. About how everything just felt ruined.

But my fingers wouldn't type, and the words wouldn't come to me.

Because another part of me didn't want to tell her. Another part of me didn't want to tell her. Another part of me wanted to be SoccerGuy, not Noah, for just a little while.

**To: PixarRules4**

**From: SoccerGuy18**

**We're in the same boat.**

**I am sitting in the middle of an awkward silence I don't dare break. My little sister's friend is upset with her and not speaking, and my sister doesn't want to handle it now. So she is pretending to want a nap. The driver has a horrible hangover and is upset a girl wouldn't take his advances. And the only sound in the car is Flo Rida.**

**But, at least, we are almost to where we are going.**

**-SoccerGuy**

I pressed send, and I looked in the mirrors to see my fellow passengers.

Chester had his headphones in, and he was bopping his head as he looked out the window. Sam's eyes were trying to look like they were on the road, but they were really on the car ahead of us. Charlie gave up on the tired thing, and she was on her cell phone, typing and probably talking to her friend, Emily-Rose.

It felt crazy to think that it had only been a few weeks ago that Charlie and Emily-Rose were being chased by Kate as they sneaked into the locker room to congratulate me after my win. The phone calls with Charlie talking about how excited she was for this year at camp and how Emily-Rose would probably be in our cabin all the time felt like a million years ago. And even seeing Emily-Rose see Charlie off before the quest felt like forever ago.

I could almost see what Emily-Rose was doing. Aside from worrying for her friend and spending a lot of time praying for her safety, she was probably watching after the little twins. She was probably wearing her hair in a beanie and those shorts with flowers on them. And she was probably staring wistfully at Kia, a son of Demeter she had been pretending she wasn't in love with for about a year now.

I missed the little girl, but, if this trip taught me anything, it was that they both weren't little girls anymore.

I looked back in my mirror at Charlie, and, smiling, I broke the silence.

"Hey, how's Emily-Rose?"

"Good," Charlie smiled, "The twins are driving her insane, but, with us gone, a certain son of Demeter has been helping her out."

"Took long enough."

"I know, right?" Charlie smiled wider at me.

* * *

_**Ugh, I remember when I used to churn out chapter after chapter quickly. Now it takes me forever. So sorry. I've just been off subject, I guess. A lot of stuff happened.**_

_**For one, my Spanish teacher up and quit six weeks before school was over, effective immediately. Also, we figured out she hasn't been teaching us near enough, which we all knew, and everything has been going insane since she left. Our principal had to start teaching her English classes because there was no one else. My Spanish class has been switched to the other teacher in the school, who is known for being insanely hard, but at least we are finally learning something.**_

_**I have been upping my game to get my grade up just a few more points in Math to exempt all my exams, and I joined the tennis team for next year, meaning I need to actually learn how to play. My favorite teacher is moving, and things just seem to be in a crunch for the end of the year. **_

_**But it will soon be over, and it won't be long until it'll be summer. **_

_**On the subject of the actual story, what do you guys think about Swift?**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Noah,**_

As we drove into the gate of Azul's home, it looked like just another mansion, but, when we got a while into the drive, we found that his home was a work of art. The driveway was made of beautiful orange and white tiles, and sweet flowers and trees lined our way, drawing your attention towards them and the horizon of Utah beauty.

Then there was the actual home.

It was a large Grecian estate. It stood out prominently and was stately but still blended in to some aspect with nature. The columns had orange stone at the top and bottom of each one with marble elsewhere. The porch was tiled with the same orange and white tiles, and the front door was open and letting in a gentle breeze that swayed the white curtains on the inside. It was large but not as large as most of the homes the gods keep.

It was… beautiful.

I wasn't exactly sure what I would be walking into, especially with his name being Azul, but I was pleasantly surprised as Sam brought the jeep to a halt.

I looked back to Charlie, who had put her phone up. Swift's black car had stopped in front of us, and, as she was getting out, Sam did everything not to stare at her.

But none of that worked.

Charlie got out next and distracted Aiden from Sam checking out his sister, and Kate followed. This time, I felt her eyes on me, but I wasn't sure I was ready to meet them just yet. And then Chester followed, giving the house a once-over as he kept on his shades and tried not to snarl at Aiden.

Luckily for Chester, he was able to control himself unlike Sam.

We were all forming a huddle to ask what we should do when a handsome man in his early twenties came out of the front door.

Azul _was_ what I had pictured. He looked like a lost prince of long ago. His cheekbones were high, his skin olive, his hair curly and black, and his face reminded me of many I saw at camp, the same sort of features of people from around or in Greece.

He stood in a pair of jeans with paint splatters on them, comfortable walking shoes, and an old tee shirt. Sticking out of his back pocket, he had a paint brush, and there was a streak of paint on his neck.

"Hermes sent you?"

We all nodded.

Azul shook his head but motioned for us to come in.

We did.

As I entered, there was a grand marble and orange entryway that had a large and grand staircase that led to many rooms upstairs, and there were many archways and doorways here. Azul led us through a couple, and we found ourselves in an odd place…

We were outside for starters.

And it was… Greek. The grass was green, and I could see rolling hills and oceans in all directions. The grass was lush and perfectly clean, and there were little wildflowers growing here and there. The air was warm but not hot, and the clouds seemed to be the perfect amount of fluff.

"I built this for my daughter, so she could keep a piece of Greece," Azul explained as he went to a comfortable couch and set of chairs sitting towards the edge of this hill, "You see, she doesn't remember much of it. Our child had a strange birth, so she grows like normal humans, though she is immortal. She grows much slower, too. Centuries and centuries have made the equivalent on her of ten years does to you. She's just a child, and I want her to know where she is from. But it isn't the same as when she was born."

Azul took a seat, and we followed to sit opposite him.

I was honestly a little shocked by him. He reminded me of… well, _my dad_. Back before he married Annabeth and had Charlie. When it was just the two of us and my mom was never around. When he was trying to take care of me by himself but make it look like my mom was there, too, though she hadn't been since I was three.

"A little girl needs her mother," Azul's jaw tightened, and I began to realize why he wanted Aphrodite to come so much. Honestly, I probably would have been on my side if this wasn't so important to the quest and therefore my sister's life.

Azul looked over the scene he had created for his daughter.

"So, I suppose Hermes has sent you."

Charlie nodded, and Azul seemed to like her more, probably because she was kind of around the age of his daughter.

"You are here to get the painting from me to give it to Aphrodite. She is too busy with her new lover, I assume. Who is it this time? They always seem to rank above her daughter," Azul was bitter but not for himself. He was bitter for the sake of his daughter, who had every right to grow up bitter herself.

Charlie's eyes fell to the grass at her feet.

"They just need the painting, Azul," Swift crossed her arms.

"Oh, Theodora, you know why I can't do that."

Swift blushed at her name.

"But let's be cordial. I don't get many visitors here. The other immortal children and turned-immortal lovers live elsewhere, and I go to visit them. No one much likes to make the trek to Utah," Azul stood, and his smile turned friendly, "You must stay for dinner. Meet my daughter as well."

Azul clapped, and a servant seemed to be painted out of thin air.

"Please take these young friends of mine to the guest rooms. They must be tired. And in an hour, make sure that they get to the art room," Azul told the servant, and I had to admit that I was tired as we bid our goodbyes to Azul and followed the servant.

"We must convince him," Chester spoke up as we were going up those grand stairs and being led to the guest rooms, "We have to get that painting."

Charlie nodded, and the others kept talking as Kate fell back to tlk to me.

It was the first time we had spoken since this morning, and I honestly didn't even want to speak to her. I wasn't ready yet. I just couldn't get past it.

She didn't _remember_. It finally happened. We finally kissed. We were finally together. The world seemed to be perfect just for that split moment. I couldn't have imagined how good it felt to know that Kate was mine, that we loved each other. But then I woke up, and she didn't remember. And I realized that she never said she loved me, that she just kissed me when she was drunk.

"Are you alright?" Kate asked timidly. She seemed to have been able to tell that it had hit a soft spot to hear about a little girl whose mother was more interested in her current fling than she was her.

Kate had been there through it all. She saw my father raise me practically on his own, and she saw as Annbeth became like a mother to me. She saw JoJo always be late to pick me up, miss times to come and see me, an call with a lame excuse. She saw JoJo move to LA and start dating Annabeth's ex, Henry. She saw as I had to be in the wedding where JoJo became Johanna Alexander and embark on a life of becoming the new Mrs. Oz. Kate was there to watch the constant media frenzy to hear that Annabeth Chase's husband's ex was marrying Annabeth's ex. And Kate was there to watch as JoJo and Henry began a new life in California without me.

"Yeah," I shrugged.

Kate didn't believe me, but we had already reached our rooms. And I think we might have reached our talking maximum for the day.

The servant touched the doors, and they each became imprinted with our names.

Then it just disappeared.

"Well then," Swift looked at the door, "might as well."

And, just like that, we were all off to our rooms.

_**Charlie,**_

The willow was beautiful. The canopy bed was made of three willow trees forming the base and the leaves held together as a canopy. The floor was mostly marble except for around the bed where it turned to grass. The walls showed a moving scene of a garden with lines of willows, and the air smelled of the sweetest flowers. The ceiling showed perfect clouds pushed by the same gentle breeze that filled the room.

It was the kind of place that made you want to shun the modern world and fall into life with nature.

And it was the relaxation I needed.

The bathroom where I decided to take a bath wasn't as comfortable. It was the same sort of design. The floors were green and white tiles, and there didn't seem to be any walls, just open air and the same picturesque scene. Though it took me a while to work up the courage, I finally took off my clothes and slid into the lilac scented bath.

By the time I was out of the bath and dressed in a dress as green as my eyes that had been left on my bed while I was bathing, the sky in the room was beginning to show that it was almost sunset.

As I was sitting on the grass and gazing up to the sky, I was stunned by the sudden opening of the door to see the same painted servant with some of the others behind it.

I quickly stood and followed afterwards.

I fell to the back of the group with Kate and Swift.

Swift seemed to like Kate, and Kate liked her, too. Well, she would have if it hadn't been for Noah, I think. Kate and Noah seemed a bit more vulnerable and much more susceptible to jealousy. And a pretty girl at a time like this could make Kate nervous, and it did.

"So, the willow room. It had willows, I am presuming."

"Yeah. The oak room?"

Kate nodded.

"I'm starting to think Azul remembers what I used to mumble under my breath. He stuck me in the palm room where I was surrounded by sand blowing everywhere," Swift crossed her arms, and I noticed the sand was actually all over her and even in her hair.

And I also noticed that Kate and I had changed into dresses matching our room, but she hadn't.

"Did he give you a dress?" Kate asked.

"No, he gave me _a gown_," Swift pouted, and I tried not to laugh as I tried to picture Swift in a gown.

I could only see her like this. In leather with tattoos peeking out from her shorts and jacket. I couldn't picture anything else.

"You guys got okay stuff. I could handle that, especially with all that sand in my room. But a gown made to look like palm leaves wrapping around me? Hades to the no."

I looked back at Kate and thought she got more than an _okay_ dress.

It was a sundress and a little odd, I will admit. The top was leafy green and had the texture of leaves, and the bottom was a light brown with darker lines to resemble tree trunks.

Kate had gotten to take a bath instead of a rushed shower that had been miserable with a bad hangover, and her hair was controlled with her curls back. Her eyes, though still tired and very much hungover, were brighter. And she just seemed little more at ease.

Not enough at ease though.

Her eyes kept darting to Noah and lingering both questioningly and longingly. Before, she had been able to keep her love for Noah under control, but whatever happened last night brought it to the front lines. Also, whatever happened was worth wondering about. He seemed to be questioning everything just like she was. They were both constantly in thought.

And their feelings seemed to have intensified.

I worried that this would be it for them again. They had separated before, and I worried that it would happen again. But there would be no magical second chance like this again. It would be over, and they would carry on with their lives miserably.

As Swift and her younger brother began to talk, I found myself wrapped up in questions about Kate and Noah.

And then Chester broke me out of it.

"You okay?"

My eyes shot to Chester, who was wearing his same jeans and tee shirt, only it was for a different band this time. He hadn't changed into whatever had been left in the room, but I had doubted he would as he had the Cherry Blossom room.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"I know, we need to figure out how to get him to give us the painting."

_Oh gods, right. I had forgotten._

"Right," I quickly got with the program, "What should we do?"

Chester shrugged.

"Looks like a pretty screwed up situation."

"But just about all godly families are like this."

"Not mine," Chester answered.

I had never heard anything about his parents other than the fact his father was Pluto.

"What's your family like?" I asked, and Chester seemed to let out a little panic. But he was saved by the arrival to our destination. With the opening of the door to the art room, the painted servant disappeared.

"Oh wonderful, you're here. I want you to see my work," Azul called out, getting up from a couch.

There was so much art.

Different pieces all amazing in their own way. Modern works with odd designs and weird subjects. Classic and details scenes. Serious portraits. Impressionistic movement paintings. Drawings. Sculptures. They were all beautiful, all special, and all different.

You wanted to take them all in, and it almost gave you a headache.

But my eyes didn't linger on the artwork long before I saw a young girl.

"This is my daughter, Weslinena," Azul put his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

She was so beautiful.

She had her father's coloring. Her hair was dark black and curly and falling into her dark eyes. Her cheekbones were high and her eyes shaped like almonds. But she also had bits of whatever her mother's form had been at the time. And it went together to produce one of the most beautiful children I had ever seen.

She was dressed like her dad, very much a tomboy, but that didn't shock me since her mom hadn't been around. She was wearing a pair of jeans with pair of boots tucked in. A big grey hoodie covered up most of her tee shirt, and she wore a necklace that I could basically guarantee you was from her mom.

"_Weslin_, Dad," Weslin blushed, and Azul smiled lovingly at his daughter.

"It's great to meet you," Kate smiled, "I'm Kate."

Weslin nodded towards her with a nervous smile.

Noah was right after her.

"I'm Noah, and this is my little sister, Charlotte."

"Charlie," I corrected him, and Weslin's face lit up knowing that I also had my battles over my real name versus my nickname.

As Sam bid her hello, she smiled at him, but he was too intoxicated with Swift to put on full charm. So, as Aiden smiled a friendly hello and said it was an honor to meet her, I could almost see Weslin fall in love. The same love was not granted to Chester, who just earned a cordial hello before her eyes returned to handsome Aiden. Weslin seemed to like Swift, but Swift was a little more interested in finding a polite way to ask what the Hades happened with the room assignments and dress left for her.

"Speaking of your rooms," Azul cut Swift off before she could get into her polite way, "what do you think of them? I just remodeled. You see, it used to be rooms after famous artist. Like the Juniper room was once the Monet room. But I realized that nature is the most beautiful thing in the world, and Weslin and I were hiking when we got the idea to have the rooms like nature. It took forever to get it, and I haven't really stayed in the guest rooms. So I don't know how they are."

"They're beautiful," I answered before Swift could use that to complain about the sand.

"That's wonderful."

As Azul smiled, I could see how Aphrodite fell so madly in love with him. He was amazing. Gentle and a wonderful father. Sweet and fun. And very caring and very thoughtful.

"You all must be hungry, let's get to dinner, shall we?"

I tried not to let out a moan as I realized that dinner would be full of coaxing and begging to get that painting.

_**Aiden,**_

After a long dinner of begging, pleading, coaxing, and influencing, we still had not gotten the painting, and we were all much too tired to retire to the study and talk of art or Weslin or any other form of small talk. Sam and Chester went to bed, and I didn't know where Charlie, Kate, and Noah had gone. They were around somewhere, and we were safe so I didn't worry for Charlie.

Charlie.

Worrying for Charlie.

It was always happening. I was always watching Charlie just a little closer. I knew she would handle herself. I knew that she didn't need me, but I wanted to be there. I wanted to protect her, and I wanted to be sure that she was alright. It wasn't a matter of needing to protect her like she might think it was.

I wasn't sure what she thought of me, but I had a deep fear that it was the same way she thought of her older brother, Noah. Being "Brother-Zoned" was worse than being "Friend-Zoned" by far.

Usually, this all did not happen.

I did not fall for girls younger than me. I didn't fall for girls not in the military. I didn't have to compete for her affection with another guy. I did not have the constant fear of her death. And I most certainly _did not_ fall this fast.

It took_ much_ longer. Weeks, months, maybe even years for the feeling to officially form and for me to officially acknowledge it. But it had already formed, and it had formed stronger than anything I had felt before.

And it had caused the worst jealousy I had ever felt in my entire life.

Before, jealousy had been with someone getting a promotion I wanted, someone having something I wanted, or someone being more skilled than me. Jealousy did not equate into my love life, but it had now.

It was driving me up the wall just to see Chester and Charlie talking!

"So, Baby Brother," Swift smiled as she leaned over the railing of my balcony, ruffling her hair.

She had taken off her jacket, and I could see her tattoos. She had one on her arm, which was the roman tattoo. One on her wrist of a dagger. Another on her thigh of an eternity symbol, which I could slightly see. One of an arrow flying on her back that I couldn't see. And the wing tattoo on her neck that we shared.

She was a member of one of the most elite Roman Forces in the entire world.

Swift wasn't in it like I was though. I was high up in the military, and, though I did a lot of secretive work, I was also a public figure. I was supposed to take my place as Praetor one day. Swift blended in to the background. _Everything_ she did was a secret.

Including now.

I wondered what she was doing here now and why. And I wondered if it had anything to do with Charlie.

I knew what our "Force" did. And I knew that we would naturally have someone watching someone like Charlie.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on a beach somewhere during your break with Daddy?" Swift called Apollo 'Daddy' mockingly at first, but it had grown on both of us since. I think it gave us a sense of being normal, something we most certainly _weren't_. We weren't even normal for demigods.

"They stopped by to see Apollo for help, and I just kinda ended up with them," I shrugged, and Swift eyed me.

After a pause, she added.

"She's pretty you know."

I knew who she was talking about, but I tried to pretend I didn't.

"Who?"

"You know who," Swift raised her eyebrows.

"Kate?"

"Yes, Kate is very pretty," Swift smirked, "So is Charlie."

I did everything not to blush, but I didn't have to. She knew I liked her, and she knew it was her job to tease me about it.

"She's very pretty, indeed, even if she is only thirteen. And you two seem to be _very good friends_. With her running after you when you looked completely insane and started chasing me. You would have to _really_ care to follow someone who looked insane like that," Swift attempts at subtlety weren't working.

"I guess she is," I shrugged, trying to play it cool. My attempts also weren't working.

Then Swift gave up the whole charade.

"You like her! You really like her!" Swift sang loudly, and I quickly tried to quiet her.

"Shut up!" I blushed.

"Oh my gods, you got it bad!" she kept laughing.

"I do-do not!"

"Oh no, it is adorable, really. Just… shocking."

"Shocking?"

"Yeah, Aiden fell for a girl. Aiden who is always working. Always thinking of New Rome and what you could do to be better for it. You never had time for things as silly as _girls_," Swift laughed, and she nudged me, "This is good for you. Have fun. Date her. Oooh, have your first kiss! And come to me as your big sister and tell me about it. And I can tease you about it, and I can help you get ready for your first date! And I can help you pick out gifts for her. This is awesome."

I stared at my sister.

There was a lot to address there, so I chose at random.

"How do you know I haven't had my first kiss?" I crossed my arms, trying not to sound like a girl being defensive of her first kiss.

"Because I _know_ you."

I accepted that answer and didn't push it.

"And you are thinking too far ahead. I just like her. It isn't like I _proposed_ or anything."

"You just admitted you like her."

Now I was the color of a tomato.

"So, what's up with her and that guy Chester?"

I made a face.

"I don't know."

"Someone's jealous."

"I am _not_."

"Fine, you aren't jealous, Mr. Grouchy Pants. Well then, what's up with Kate and Noah? Are they together?"

"Nope, in love with each other not-so-secretly. But not together," I shook my head.

"Maybe I could fix that," Swift's smile turned mischievous.

"No, don't mess with this, Swift."

"It's just what they need! I promise, if I stir things up, they'll be together in no time. I will push them together."

I rolled my eyes but still let out a small smile.

"So, you'll stick with us?"

Swift let out a small smile, too.

"If they'll have me."

I smiled wider, and I hugged her.

"You know," I said as I was pulling away, "that'll make Sam pretty happy."

"Please. As if _I_ would go for _him_," Swift rolled her eyes, and I smirked.

"You just jinxed it. Now you two will probably fall in love, get married, and have a bunch of mini-Swift's and mini-Sam's," I laughed, taking in my turn to make fin of her, and Swift's eyes narrowed.

This was what we did, what we had always done. I was her only family, or the only family she truly saw as family. We shared the circumstances of our mothers. Though we shared the lack of them in our lives, there were different reasons for that.

Swift was the granddaughter of a politician. When his twenty year old daughter fell pregnant, she reportedly went to a year abroad in England. In reality, they hid her off until the baby was born, and little Theodora was first to be adopted by a wealthy couple there. But monsters caused havoc, and Lupa found Swift and brought her to New Rome. There, she became a pet project to work in the military.

I was it for her, the little brother she adored. We told each other everything, and we teased about everything, too.

Instead of firing back like I knew she wanted to, she pulled herself to sit on the railing.

"Now that I am on your team, we should start figuring out a way to get that painting," Swift put on her thinking face.

"We could sacrifice Chester's life in exchange."

Swift shoved me.

"Be nice."

"It was just a suggestion," I crossed my arms, "We could steal it."

Swift nodded that it was a good idea, but she continued to think of something a little better.

"He won't budge. He says he wants to Aphrodite to come and see their daughter. Maybe we take Weslin with us to see Aphrodite or something."

"I don't think he wants his daughter to see her mother's new lover," I pointed out.

Swift nodded, and she finally let out a defeated sigh.

"Sam's been thinking about it," I told her.

"_And_?" she looked annoyed.

"He has a few ideas, maybe you could build off them," I smiled.

"Maybe you and Charlie could work on it together?" Swift raised her eyebrows, and I quickly took the hint to shut up.

* * *

_**So, it took me forever. I have actually had this mostly done, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I don't know why. But here it is, kind of a filler chapter I suppose to show more of Swift and even more of Aiden. I actually love writing about the two boys in Charlie's life. The fact that there is so much intrigue and only I know the answers is what I love ;-)**_

_**And I see a lot of feedback wanting me to have Swift flirt with Noah. I don't know exactly about that, but I will keep to what Swift said of "shaking things up"**_

_**;-D HAWTgeek ;-D**_


	26. The Wonderful Weslin

_**Noah,**_

After dinner, we declined the offer to go to the study and enjoy coffee and hot chocolate. Azul said he understood and that he was going to work on a new painting then. He gave us full access to the house, and he took Weslin up the stairs saying it was time to get ready for bed. Sam and Chester went to bed, and Aiden and Swift went off to talk to each other. The three of us left decided to wander around.

Charlie and Kate stayed downstairs, and I went upstairs.

Part of me did want to stay with Kate. She had always understood art more, I suppose, or maybe it was just that she loved it more. Kate could offer random facts over three things in life: Dr. Who, whoever had the number one novel in America at the time, and art. The first was alright if you watched along, but you found yourself lost after missing a season. The second I typically just smiled and rolled my eyes at. And the last had saved my butt a lot during Art History in high school.

Everywhere you looked there was art and different rooms dedicated to different styles, mediums, and even artists. There was a room full of graffiti that held two modern white couches facing each other and two white end tables only. Another was made completely out of stone and the walls were filled with etchings with the slow water running through them deepening them.

There were so many drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages, and pictures, and they were all so beautiful. But they ran together, giving me the familiar headache that I got when my school used to take us to art museums for the day which they packed full of tours.

I had already lost my way in the grand house, and I was trying to find my way back to The Cherry Tree room when I heard crying from one of the doors I was passing, and I couldn't stop myself from curiosity. Nervously, I pushed the door open, and I took a step in.

It was like I was back in time.

I was back in Ancient Greece on an island. The ocean crashed on the sandy beaches below. The air was humid and filled with the smell of wild flowers. I was standing on a grassy hill full of beauty, and there was a grand Greek home fit for a god to the right.

And then there was a little girl sitting in the middle of the hill that didn't fit the picture. She had her black hair in orange elastic, and she was wearing a pair of orange pajama pants and a tee shirt that was about two sizes too big. A necklace with diamond-covered heart locket hung around her neck. And her tears fell onto a sketchbook she was working hard on.

"Weslin?"

The little girl's face shot up from a drawing, and I could see how red her eyes were.

"What are you doing here?" she quickly hid her face and tried to wipe away her tears with her tee shirt.

"I'm sorry, I heard crying, and I just…" I trailed off, not sure what to say. I knew to leave, but I didn't. I just kept staring at the little girl and flashing back to the years before my father married Annabeth.

I lived with my mom until I was about two or three. My mom wasn't a great mother, but she wasn't too bad. She spent more time taking pictures of sweet moments to post on Facebook than enjoying those moments, but she was still present for them. She didn't have a lot of responsibility I will admit. Whenever I got sick, needed something she couldn't or just didn't really want to do and could get out of, or something like that, she called my dad, and he did it for me. Though she depended on him for things like this, she had always been very cruel about the custody agreement. Something happened, though I am not completely sure, and he took my mom to court. After that, he had full custody, but he let her have weekends once a month and to spend other time with me.

But, by that point, she seemed done with mothering for the most part.

She spent more time doing her job, and, when she was about twenty-seven, she desperately tried to "stay young". Ever since, that had been her focus. She kept up with all the trends. She wore clothes way too tight. Went on all the fad diets. Stayed in the hip areas of town, and she did everything that was deemed "cool" by most. And sometimes parenting didn't fit into that.

When I was eleven, she was tired of New York. She was jealous of Annabeth (she had always been jealous of Annabeth, even when they were back at college), she hated seeing my father with the perfect little life, and she didn't like watching as Annabeth began to be my mother figure. She said that she needed sun, a new change of pace, and that California was just more her place. She moved in the Spring, saying I should come and stay with her in the summer.

There, she jumped around from being hip place to hip place. First, she lived in a modern, and very in-style apartment in the center of LA. About a year later, she realized that she was thirty-five, and she seemed to take on a different role. She became a single mother who lived miles and miles away from her kid, was a workaholic, gardened, and kept up to date on the newest health fads. She stopped working at a blog aimed that twenty year olds, and she moved more towards working for a "Green" blog. Through this, she met Henry Alexander. Within a year of meeting, she became Henry's second wife and the one that stuck. They had no children together, though they had been toying of the idea of adopting recently. There was shared custody of Henry's daughter, Elaine, and I came to see them every summer.

My mom had somewhat always pushed me away, though she always tried to pull me back in afterwards. And I saw that in Weslin's eyes. And I just wanted to comfort the little girl…

"I was never close to my mom either," I found myself saying, sitting down on the grass across from her, "My parents were never really together, and I lived with my mom as a baby. But I moved in with my dad when I was about three. And my mom… she just kinda forgot about me."

Weslin looked up, and I could see she felt the same way. I kept going.

I didn't talk about this. I just didn't. I had once dated a girl for five months with the simple explanation that my mom lived in LA and that I had a step-mom I was close to before Annabeth began her requirement of meeting my girlfriend as it got serious and explaining my entire story to the girl.

"I mean, I saw her on weekends, but she canceled a lot. And she wasn't really a mom. She was always just someone who happened to have given birth to me. She loved me, I knew she did, but she just didn't know how to be a mom. I could never count on her. She was always trying to stay cool. She seemed to care more about staying with her boyfriends than me. I wanted to make her happy. To make her proud, to make her… _care_," I looked away, but Weslin silently urged me to continue.

"She was never there. And she didn't even realize it. She would always apologize, give me some story, kiss me on the nose, and give me a present to make up for it. It wasn't long before that made my dad hate her. I guess part of me hated her for it, too, but another part of me had this feeling of blame for him. That he must have been the one stopping her. That, if he was nicer, things would be different," I looked to Weslin's eyes, and I saw that she felt the same way.

She opened her mouth and faltered, and I waited until she felt like she could speak.

"Last week was my birthday. I age kind of weird, but Dad says I turned ten. She promised she would be here. I got all dressed up. I put on a dress. Painted my nails. Fixed my hair," I could tell that all of this would have mortified her on any other day. Weslin reminded me of a more tomboy young Charlie, "I was ready to see her. And she didn't come. She called. She said that she needed to be in Olympus…. She was with her boyfriend. I know she was. She always ditches me for her boyfriend…"

Weslin didn't meet my eyes.

"I went to New Rome with my friend, Darcy, an immortal son of Hermes. I heard my siblings talking. Two weeks ago, she surprised everyone by coming to my sister's wedding. Three days after _that_, she went to go see Piper's daughter on her birthday. Her _granddaughter_. Her _granddaughter_ born of a daughter who she didn't even _raise_," Weslin pushed her hair out of her eyes, "And she missed my birthday."

"You know, my mom didn't make it to my twelfth birthday. She had just moved to LA, and she had been in town for work recently. But she couldn't stay a week or come back for my birthday. She called me at the end of the day. All day, I kept waiting for that call she promised. I get what you mean, Weslin," I smiled. I never thought I would have anything in common with an immortal demigod who was aging weirdly and living in a home with every kind of art known to man and god.

Weslin let out a smile, and it became harder and harder to look at this little girl and realize how many of these nights she had come here and cried and how I hadn't here to talk to her.

"So, what is this place?" I asked Weslin, looking around the scene.

Weslin stood up, letting her feet sink into the grass.

"This is where I was born," Weslin looked around and pointed at an island in the distance, "That is where my father was supposed to marry that woman. He met my mother there. You can't see it, but my father's home country was just north of there. My mother had been staying on this island when she met my father. She went into town to see the princess's new suitor. From what my father tells me, that was the ocean where he taught me how to swim," she pointed to the water, "Those were the easels where my father taught me how to paint," she pointed towards a small clearing further down the hill where easels sat overlooking the scene.

Weslin pointed out everything of the island you could see.

She pointed to the home. She said that was the porch where Weslin had said her first words as Aphrodite was brushing her hair. That window you could see on the edge of the grand Grecian home was the window of the first art room Azul had made. Weslin said that she started making it when Aphrodite was on a shopping trip when Weslin was two.

As I listened to her tale, I found my heart breaking and my lips smiling as I watched the love she had for that home. I knew it wasn't really that home. Yes, she loved certain things. But she really loved knowing that her mother had been around for all of those stories.

And now Aphrodite was off with Apollo…

Disgust for Aphrodite filled me, and it wasn't just for honestly. It was for all of the gods.

My parents had to suffer for it. Their friends, _my _friends, and even this little girl had to suffer.

She was so young…

I felt a sharp pain hit me as I watched her exuberance and big smile and remember it as that of Charlie's only three years ago. She was still running around the house barefoot, hiding Memo in her backpack every day and thinking we never noticed.

The last six years hadn't been great for Charlie. Her trust in water was broken as Olympia almost killed her in a pool. She wouldn't touch the water until Spring Break the next year and my dad picked her up and took her in the water, trying to seem strong but almost crying as he worried for his baby girl. After that, everyone treated her different. It was like she had an expiration date stamped on her forehead. She was the peace between Athena and Poseidon. They didn't know what this quest would do. They just knew that, even if she wasn't the daughter of Percy and Annabeth, she wouldn't make it.

Percy and Annabeth had truly been forged to be heroes. Charlie was a child, and we had always attempted to preserve her innocence as long as possible. And they knew what losing would cause. No one knew would losing would do. The worst being the world ending and the "best" being that one life was lost, even if it was a life everyone adored. By trying to enjoy the most of her life, we might of shortened it…

I felt a sick feeling take over as I thought of life without my baby sister.

Weslin and I kept talking. She told me about how she liked to draw, and she told me that she had been drawing her mother, or the form that she had been in when she was with her father.

And then I heard something that startled me.

"Weslinena?" Azul called out nervously, and suddenly the door that had been standing in what felt like the middle of the beautiful scene was opened.

Though I had just come through the very same door, it felt so foreign to see the hallway behind what had felt like just… well, _a door_. It was a white double door that looked like it was just an abstract art piece in the middle of an island. But I now remembered that it was actually a door, that this was fake, and that Weslin was still just a little girl who sneaked out of bed.

Azul's eyes were wide as they looked at me as if I was an alien that couldn't possibly exsist.

After a while, his eyes turned back to his daughter.

"Weslin, you need to go to bed. Come on, it's _way_ past your bedtime, Weslin," Azul crossed his arms, and Weslin let out a moan, closing her sketchbook. She stood, and she brushed off her pajamas to get the grass off of her. Then she turned to me and let out a small smile, "Bye, Noah."

She hugged me, and I hugged her back.

"Goodnight, Weslin."

Weslin smiled at me again, and she frowned at her father as she started off to her bedroom.

Azul was now beaming at me, and he smiled down to his daughter.

"I'll be there in one minute, Weslin," Azul let her go through the door, and he waited until she was out of earshot.

His smile was so wide I was getting a little scared.

"You're the _only _person she has ever shown the sketchbook. I haven't even seen it," he shook his head, almost laughing, "I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow, Noah."

_**Charlie,**_

Kate was sitting on the edge of my bed, her feet dangling over and her toes playing in the grass. Her eyes were on the willow canopy, mesmerized by the stars peeking through. The sky showed every star in the sky tonight. I had never seen so many, especially not in my home of New York.

Everything about this home was beautiful. It was the perfect combination of the natural beauty surrounding it and the beauty of the rest of the world. There was nothing unseemly, ugly, or even uncreative about this home.

As child, I would have adored this. Armed with my best buddy Memo, I would set out to exploring everything. Step foot in every room, look at every piece, and know the structure of this home. It would have taken years, and I wasn't sure I ever would have stopped.

But my curiosity had lessened a little, and I wasn't in the mood for it either.

I was too tired, too distracted, and my thoughts were too wandering.

The beauty was everywhere, and I couldn't take it all in to recognize it. My brain couldn't take it all, and my Athena blood seemed to disappear with my distractions. It blended together until I wasn't even really looking anymore.

My father had told me that, when my mom had to find the Mark of Athena, she was so out of it that she didn't even hear him. He told her that he even told her that her that his hair was on fire and she distractedly said that's nice. I had never been able to see my mom like that. When I was a little kid, she could hear everything I said, notice everything I did, and always seemed to know what I was guilty of.

But now I saw how it happened…

Too much was swirling around in my head.

Aiden or Chester? Complete the guest or not? To steal the painting or do what is right for Azul's family? To die at the hands of Olympia or go on to live a happy life? A happy and long love for Noah and Kate or sad and eternal pain for them?

As a child of Athena, I had always been able to predict things, but I was as lost as Blake Smith his second time around at Algebra. I couldn't see anything ahead of me. At first, it had been the paradox of life. I didn't know the big things, but I knew the basics. But, in the last few days, those predictions seemed to be slipping away from me. It started as I couldn't see a week ahead. Then a few days. Then a day. And now I couldn't predict the next ten minutes.

"They're beautiful," Kate smiled as she looked up at the stars like a little kid looking at the toy they want for Christmas in the store window.

"Yeah," I glanced at them, but they didn't really interest me as much as they should.

"Are you alright, Charlie?" Kate's eyes tore away from the sky to me, and her feet stopped swinging.

I shrugged.

"Yeah."

Kate raised her eyebrows, and she turned towards me.

"Boy trouble?" she smiled.

I moaned and rolled my eyes.

"See, _this_ is why I didn't tell you!"

"It is, isn't it?"

"_No_, Kate. It is _not_."

Kate raised her eyebrows again, and this time her grey eyes gave me the same piercing imploring you to tell the truth that my mother had always given me. I wondered if my mom taught her or if it was just an Athenian thing.

Could I do that?

"I don't know what it is," I admitted, not saying she was right though.

"Oh I know," Kate's lips formed a big smile, "You are jealous that Weslin has a crush on Aiden?"

I laughed.

"You know, that is adorable," Kate stretched out on the bed, putting her head in her hands as her elbows held her upper body up, "He is a sweetheart, you know? Quiet, a bit serious, and very secretive. I mean, he had a _sister_ he never thought to mention. But he is a sweetheart."

I laughed as I pulled on a sweatshirt over the pajamas I had already changed into.

"So, are you casting your vote on who I should pick, Kate?"

"I'm not voting for _anybody_, Charlie. You need to make your own choice. I am just saying that I picked the _Bad Boy_ once, too. I picked the guy that people were shocked I chose. And I let someone even greater get away," Kate said it freely. I wasn't forcing her to do this. I didn't even ask her to.

But she brought up Austin so easily. It was almost as if it was all really okay. As if all of us had done everything not to speak of him since _the incident_.

Ever since they had broken up, the friends had to choose a side, and they choose Kate. Austin got new friends, joined the football team instead of soccer, and moved on with his life as well. I knew he didn't talk about us, and we didn't talk about him.

It was this understanding that we all had.

And it felt odd to hear him mentioned after so long.

"Austin was no bad boy, Kate," I laughed.

Austin had one tattoo on his shoulder blade that he had gotten during his first time ever drinking. He and Noah used to have a friend whose father owned a tattoo parlor, and Austin somehow ended up with a tattoo of something in Latin on his shoulder blade. The morning he woke up with it (I witnessed as he slept over at our house because my parents were out of town and Noah and Sam thought he was too drunk to go home), he freaked out. But, after that, he claimed it as a completely sober decision that he didn't regret.

After that, he seemed to think of himself as a bad boy.

But I could never see anyone as a bad boy after watching him as a twelve year old screaming with my brother after a horror movie marathon and the two of them staying up all night, scared out of their minds and prepared to scream for their mommies to come and save them.

Especially when compared to Chester.

"He was more of a bad boy than you thought, Charlie," Kate laughed.

"That one tattoo that he got when he was drunk out of his mind. After that, he thought he was completely amazing and a total bad boy."

"And the one on his back," Kate turned over to where she was staring at the canopy, "And the nape of his neck. And there was this one on his side that wasn't completely down on his hip but wasn't high up. That one was small though."

I tried not to smirk as I got on the bed beside her.

"And did you find all these may I ask?"

Kate elbowed me, but I noticed she didn't answer the question. She just kept looking up.

"He wasn't the right choice, Charlie," she said my name, but she seemed to be talking to herself, "I thought it was, I was young. He was hot, and it made sense to go for him. He liked me, I liked him. There were no problems…"

She was out of it, and I wasn't sure she even remembered I was there.

"We were great at first, but the bad choice was obvious early on. We didn't seem to click like we were supposed to. And then his best friend started isolating him, and we all knew why. It was just breaking so fast, and it was too late to go back to that night. To kiss him that night instead. To go back to any of the nights…"

I watched Kate, and I knew she was now talking about Noah.

And I knew she was thinking what I had been thinking for years.

_Why the Hades didn't they just stop pretending and use that time to just kiss each other and get it over with instead?_

Kate was still staring at the stars, her mind no longer on the beauty.

And, as I was lying beside her, I was lost in thought, too.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was thinking of to tell you the truth. It was Chester, it was Aiden, it was my quest, and it was even my last few conversations with Emily-Rose. The last few days were so jumbled up in my head that it might as well have been a lifetime.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to sleep, Shorty," Kate snapped out of it, and she kissed me on the top of my head I told her goodbye.

She left my room, and I kept staring at the stars through my willow canopy.

I wasn't sure how long passed, I just knew that I couldn't go to sleep but I couldn't be completely awake earlier.

I remembered what I would always do when it came to something like this. It happened a lot. It happens to all kids a lot.

I used to go to my mom (for logic and a cup of steaming hot chocolate with milk) or my dad (for just true comfort and perfect hot chocolate loaded down with marshmallows).

Right now, I wanted both. I wanted to be back in my light green room. I wanted to see the mural of a tree with an owl in it that my Aunt Rachel made for my nursery and that we had left up. I missed the pictures of me and my friends, my favorite bands and swimming stars, and the reading nook covered in pillows and blankets for comfort. I missed starting at my ceiling when I couldn't sleep. I missed getting up, putting on my favorite soft hoodie, and going to get one of my parents.

I just wanted one of them.

I sat up in bed and went to a river snaking through part of my room. I threw in the gold coin necessary, and I began to place my call.

"Percy Jackson, New York," I whispered to the mist, and I watched at the water morphed into one of the most familiar sights of my childhood.

My dad's Camp Half-Blood tee shirt.

My father was a handsome man, and a bunch of his students and my classmates were in love with him.

Mr. Jackson was a school-wide favorite teacher. He taught Marine Biology, 7th-8th grade History, and ran a few clubs. In his History, he focused a lot over Greece and mythology. In Marine Biology, he was the most knowledgeable and the best and most frequent field trip planner. And my father was just a likeable guy.

He had been teaching at my school since Noah was three, and I started there when I was in sixth grade. He was a favorite since his first day, and his girl students adored him more after he became the husband of their favorite business-celebrity, Annabeth Chase. Just about all of the girls had a crush on him, and, even if they didn't, everybody liked him.

Because of that, students always begged for him to run summer school, summer camps, and other non-school-year activities.

He usually didn't. He ran a few camps, but he usually was home with me during the summer.

Now that Noah and I both were supposed to be gone, he started extra summer tutoring and ran a camp for his students, particularly for Half-Bloods. He also was supposed to teach at Camp Half-Blood later this summer.

That was in a month, and it was the night before he had tutoring for Marine Biology. He was grading and working on a few things on his favorite laptop. He was sitting on the couch, his cup of steaming hot chocolate sitting on the coffee table by a book or two. His hair was a complete mess, and he was wearing the same pajama bottoms he had owned for as long as I could remember. Clash of the Titans was playing softly in the background, mainly on so he "didn't feel so lonely" when he graded papers.

It was late tonight, and I knew my dad had put off this job. My mom was an architect and owned basically the biggest firm in the world. She would probably have a meeting or just need to be there early, and she would already be changed into an owl tee shirt and a pair of comfortable yoga pants by now, falling or fast asleep.

My dad was reaching for his cup of hot chocolate when his beautiful sea green eyes noticed the Iris Message above the coffee table.

My dad's face lit up, and he closed his laptop and moved closer to the image.

He looked like he wanted to hug me, rub my cheek, and all the other "parent-things" that kids complain about. He was almost crying.

And that made my eyes water, too.

"Hey, Dad," I smiled, doing everything not to sob like a little girl.

"Hey, Baby," I could hear in my father's voice his worry, "Where are you?"

I looked around to my surroundings and remembered that it looked like we were outside.

We didn't have to rough it by any means on this quest. We and our parents had made enough friends to not need to. Our tortures were confined to our emotions and our thoughts, not our living arrangements. We had friendly gods, old family friends, and even Azul to take us in for the night. Otherwise, Noah and Sam were armed with their credit cards, and we were pretty well taken care of for the quest.

If anything, I felt a little guilty for it.

Everyone else had to scrounge around during a quest. But we had credit cards, Sam's favorite car in the entire world, and people giving us shelter pretty much everywhere we went. Olympia had the monsters scared out of their minds to truly hurt me, and it was matter of keeping from being kidnapped. It wasn't as bad as it could be. It was just constant terror and the fear of the future, the fear of what came after our "comfortable" quest.

My father hadn't had such comfort. Neither had my mother. No one I knew really had.

But I did.

We did.

Everyone said it was because they adored me, and I knew they did. It was because they wanted to keep me safe. I was a baby that, given any change at all in the past, probably would not have been born. But everything came together just right. And I was born.

"Oh, um, this artist," I smiled at my father, "He's immortal. He is Aphrodite's ex. Azul. Um, we have to get a painting for him for Aphrodite. She is too busy with her boyfriend. Azul won't give it to us because he was Aphrodite to come see their daughter. It's kinda a long story."

"Sounds like it, Charlie."

"So, how's everything?" I asked, "At home? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. Um, your mom has a big job. A new monument in DC. Your mom is working so hard to make sure everything is perfect for it," my dad smiled, "And I am just on the verge of killing some of my tutoring students. I am working like crazy… And we miss you like crazy, too, Shorty."

I didn't see my father cry very much. When I was ten, he cried that his baby girl was already a decade old. He cried when my brother graduated, and he cried when Noah moved out and was out on his own. My dad cried for me when I broke my ankle. And, while I knew he had cried much more than that, those were the only times I could really recall it.

And, right now, I knew he was about to cry.

And so was I.

"I miss you, too, Dad."

Now I was completely crying.

"I-I don't know what to do. Everyone thinks I am going to die. I even think I'm going to die,"' I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, "But it also feels so easy. Just too easy! We get in a car, and we drive. We drive to our death. No monsters bother us because they know I'll die by someone's hand even if it isn't their own!"

I was crying so hard I was shaking.

"Nothing makes sense anymore! I can't see what is going to happen. I don't know what is going to happen, only that-that it'll be Olympia! That the woman who has been torturing me for _years_ will finally win! And-And then that'll probably start a freaking godly war with Athena and Posiedon! Ever-Everyone thinks that's what O-Olympia wants!"

I was crying so much that my words were barely understandable, but my father seemed to understand them as easily as if my words were perfectly normal.

"You are _not _going to die, Charlotte," my father's voice managed to be sweet sympathy and love he always had and a surprising bit of sternness, "It is not easy, and you know it. I know how it feels to drive to what you think will be your death. I could put it off, and I could focus on how unhappy I was. You, my baby, will be alright. Your grandparents will always love you, and they have an understanding because of you, Charlie. And you're not supposed to be able to predict life, Charlotte."

I found that I was no longer crying and that I was staring at my father.

"My prediction wasn't this life, Charlie. I didn't think I would marry Annabeth Chase when I was your age. Then, when I was sixteen, it was all I could see. Then something happened. And I could see only raising Noah and no Annabeth. Then a few years later, I was with your mother again, and we were having a daughter. Life never follows _rules_. You can't just predict things. You were going to learn that soon," my dad's face was still wet from tears, but he wasn't crying. He was just smiling.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Shorty."

* * *

**I know I should do a Kate POV, but it was already almost 6000 words and it has taken so long to finish this. So I decided to push it out.**

**Sorry it took so long. Next week, I have a big English test, an even bigger Math test, and a giant project due. So I have been preparing for that, working on new stories, old stories, and working on the PJO Awards (please vote!). But I should be doing a lot this summer! So please don't get too mad at me.**

**HAWTgeek **


	27. Chapter 27

_**Kate,**_

It was hard to sleep though the morning when your room is technically outdoors. I tried to maintain sleep by blocking out the light through the thick blankets and oak leaves canopy. But it became too much strain, and I found myself getting annoyed and letting out a tired groan as I decided to finally get off my butt and wake up.

I got out of bed, shielded my eyes from the sunlight, and I fumbled around until I got used to the light. I took a quick shower, which still felt uncomfortable when the bathroom was kind of in the middle of a random field. The summer heat had set in, and I began to address accordingly.

When I was dressed, I wasn't exactly sure where to go or what to do.

So, I found myself lying on my back and staring at the way the sun peaked through the canopy above me. I was thinking of my dream of Noah the night before, wondering if I would ever get over him or end up staring at bed canopies to think about him forever.

I wasn't sure what was the best outcome would have been anyway. Did I honestly want to be over him? I knew I wanted the relief that came from getting ready of these frustrations, the pain, and the annoyance of it all. But did I honestly want to let Noah go?

Not did I want to stop paying the price for my love but did I want to get rid of the love.

I honestly wasn't sure. While it did cause me pain, our time together was still this little bliss that only Noah could give me. No one, though I had often wished for it, had ever been able to compare to that happiness. I always thought it was because he knew me better than anyone in the entire world (even my big brother, Sam), but it was really because of how much I loved him.

It wasn't a crush. A crush was what I felt for Justin Riley, the super-hot school tennis star who was two years older than me, in ninth grade. It was the blush at his smile, constant thinking of him but never of a real future, occasional flirting, and the ability to move on to the next super-hot guy after he started dating a girl his age named Abby.

This was full-fledged love, the kind that I had read a million books and seen a million movies about. Love was what I felt for Noah, my best friend in the entire world since I was about four. It was the constant thinking about him until a point where it became part of everything I did, the desperate need to be around him at all times, the inability to flirt in fear of rejection that I could never be able to take the pain of, and the inability to move on as I watched him go from girl to girl over his lifetime. It was the fact that I would always be comparing whatever guy I thought could be a real contender to the amazing Noah Jackson, and it was the fact that I knew no one would ever live up to that expectation.

By the time I was out of thought, the sun was a bit higher and told me that everyone would be up by now. I decided to wander and let my mind think of art instead.

Through my aimless walk, I found myself in the dining room, where Weslin was just sitting down and ruffling her hair. Azul was sitting at the head at the table, completely awake and comfortable. Charlie looked tired, telling me that she also hadn't been able to sleep. Sam was not up, and I didn't expect him to be very soon either. Chester, who I learned did not like mornings, was not there, nor was Aiden. But Noah was there. And the empty seat was beside him.

I took it and wondered if we were still not speaking. Yesterday morning, we would speak under no circumstances. Something happened in Vegas, and I didn't know what, which made things worse.

I think we were now on good terms, but I didn't risk it much with a lot of talking.

"How did you all sleep?" Azul asked.

"Pretty well, thank you," Noah answered for us, which was pretty good since I could tell that both Charlie and I had _not_ slept very well.

"Very good, very good," Azul smiled, nodding, "I did as well. I woke up at five and went for an amazing hike. Really got in touch with nature."

Just hearing about "getting in touch with nature" made me want a nap.

"Dad loves hiking," Weslin didn't seem nearly as excited about him as he did, but she was much more excited than me.

Weslin's gaze was quickly ripped away from us to someone entering through the door, and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. I looked back to see what had caused this change, and I smiled to myself.

Aiden was coming through the door, looking completely rested and I will admit pretty darn adorable. He was wearing a sweatshirt with Charleston written in bulk letters, a pair of khaki shorts, and converse. His tattoos weren't visible, and Swift had made an effort to hide them as well. Swift was behind him, looking exhausted and in desperate need of coffee.

It was still shocking to look at the two of them and know that they were siblings when they seemed complete polar opposites.

Aiden walked towards the table and did pretty much the cutest thing I had ever seen him do.

"Mind if I sit here?" Aiden smiled to Weslin, who filled with such joy I wasn't sure she had ever smiled that wide.

"Sure," she nodded fast.

Aiden sat down beside her with Swift beside him, smiling at her baby brother.

Even Noah smiled at it, and Charlie definitely did.

Aiden was a good kid. A really good kid.

I had to admit that I was pretty happy that Charlie liked him, not that I was forcing him on her or anything. I wanted her to find a nice guy like that.

"Will Sam be joining us?" Azul asked, and I shook my head, almost laughing.

"Sam isn't much of a _morning person_," I told him.

Noah tried not to snicker.

Sam hated mornings more than anyone in the entire world that I had ever met. I'm pretty sure it was all he could do not to track down Apollo and slit his throat for creating them in the first place.

"Well then, let's get started."

Azul clapped, and painted servant appeared from a door and began bringing in a large and appetizing breakfast. They left a feast on the table and left us as quickly as they came. Azul pressed a button, and a part of the table retracted to show a fire pit that flames quickly sprang out from. We all threw in food, and the fire kept going as we all reached for our breakfast.

There was simple conversation going on between us all.

I was talking to Swift. Noah was talking to Charlie. Aiden and Azul were talking to Weslin.

Things were pretty easy. We didn't talk about the painting, but Azul did ask us all about our quest. The rest of breakfast was spent on that subject. We talked about how it began (the rock-man trying to kidnap Charlie at camp), our first stop (Charleston), and picking up Aiden at our first stop. Then we told him everything that came afterwards (the movie I had to be in to steal the necklace for Hera, the night in Birmingham, and everything else that had happened to us since we left New York).

It was pretty entertaining, I will admit. It was _especially_ entertaining to little Weslin, who of course was even more interested when it came to the parts involving her beloved Aiden.

We were all finishing our grand breakfast by the time we got to the end of our story, and the fire was being extinguished in the middle of the table as we were all beginning to stand.

"Weslin, why don't you show Swift and Aiden to the living room? I need to talk to Kate, Noah, and Charlie for just a moment."

Aiden was perfectly fine with the idea, and Weslin was truly excited. Swift looked pissed that she was being shown to the Kid-Room while "grown up talking" was happening with someone younger than her by about _six years_.

Swift had her arms crossed, pouting like a ten year old, and Weslin wrapped her hand around Aiden's as she lead the two siblings into the living room.

Azul took us down a different hall, and I expected to see him take us into the big and amazing hall full of a million different kinds of art. But he didn't take us there, he took us to a smaller room.

When we got inside, there was nothing impressive. The floor was dark wood, beautiful but nothing to stare at. The walls were a darker but gentle hue of burgundy, and there was nothing special on the walls. There were no windows, just one light.

And there was a large canvas with a white sheet covering it.

Azul looks at it, his eyes watering, and his fingers wrapped around the sheet, squeezing so tightly it looked like he might just rip a hole in it.

I knew what it was before he even ripped off the sheet, and I really didn't even need to look at the painting to know that it would be his ex, the mother of his child, and his official biggest what-if. It was the goddess of beauty portrayed perfectly on a canvas.

Suddenly, I didn't see the handsome and talented artist who had a beautiful daughter, went hiking, and was spending eternity making and collecting some of the most amazing art in the entire world.

It was like looking at Percy as a child. He was a gorgeous, amazing, and perfect teacher who adored his son more than anything in the entire world, at least to the eye. In reality, he was a broken man who was in love with his ex-girlfriend who he had betrayed and broke her heart.

But I knew Azul wouldn't get his happy ending like Percy.

No, he might be happy one day. When Weslin was all grown. When he could hate Aphrodite and not play nice for his beloved Weslin.

"It's all yours, take it. I don't want it in my house anymore," Azul shook his head, "I want you to take it to her. You can have her, I don't want her. When you get there, she will probably send you off on another quest to lie to her husband so that she could stay with her lover. But he doesn't buy her lies, and I don't buy her lies about why she misses dates with our daughter. You'll need her support, so she's your problem now."

He looked back to us, and his eyes sweet.

"Thank you, Noah, for talking to Weslin. She needed that, she needs someone who understands. I don't really. I don't know what to say to her, you do. You have no idea what last night meant to me."

"She's an amazing kid," Noah nodded, his eyes almost watering, too.

Azul's eyes filled with vengeance.

"When you give her the painting, tell her about the sketchbook and how you were the only one she showed it to, how she wanted to give it to her mother. And give Aphrodite this," Azul handed a picture to Noah.

It almost broke to see.

Weslin looked beautiful. She wasn't in jeans and a tee shirt two sizes too big. She was in a pretty dress with pretty shoes and a pretty hairstyle. She was smiling as she blew out a candle, but you could see the sadness in her.

_Her mother didn't come_, I realized it at once.

As I looked at Noah, I saw some of the purest passion I had ever seen in him.

I had seen a picture like that, I had seen a few. JoJo had missed a lot of stuff, though she typically did _try _for birthdays. But, after moving to California and starting a new life there with a new husband and a new family, she missed a lot. She seemed as though she had regretted not spending time with her son, but she didn't know how to kick the habit. She was so used to putting everything else above her son that she didn't know to break it. I guess, at the end, she did make an effort, but it was too little too late.

I thought about the birthday's JoJo had missed.

His seventh. His eleventh. His sixteenth. And his seventeenth. Those were the ones I could clearly remember.

Standing here, I could hear it again. Sam and I always popped in early on his birthday mainly to enjoy Percy's amazing French toast, and that was when she would call. I could remember awkwardly sitting at the table on those birthdays, Annabeth sighing and taking care of Charlie, and Percy trying not to get angry as he worked on breakfast. I could hear his broken voice as he assured his mom that it was fine, that they could get together later. He would always crack a joke that she had been there for the birth and that was the important bit, but he didn't mean it.

I had always gotten sick watching as he tried to fake a smile, came in for breakfast acting like nothing had happened, and how we would always sneak off from Sam and everyone and get big ice creams with every available topping.

In his eyes, I could see that he remembered those days, and I could see that he hated that little Weslin had to feel them, too.

"I will," Noah nodded.

_**Charlie,**_

After breakfast, there was not much holding us to stay with Azul, but there was something that just made us want to stay. Azul, I guess sensing that we wanted to stay, allowed us all to enjoy painting in his master studio.

I was a horrible painter. Even as a child in art class, painting had never been my forte, and I didn't enjoy it much either. So, with Kate beside me, I just watched everyone else paint. Weslin was amazing, so amazing that I could barely take my eyes off of it. She was helping Aiden. Azul led them on, and Noah was doing pretty well. Chester was painting something entirely of dark colors (I wasn't paying attention to what), and Sam was struggling as he tried to impress Swift.

I noticed that Swift seemed to be more interested in Noah than Sam, at least at the moment. They were talking, and Kate was staring, her dagger eyes threatening to kill Swift. Honestly, Kate was beginning to scare me in some ways. She watched the two of them like a hawk, every slight moment between the two being picked up.

I wondered how on earth, when Kate and Noah were always so jealous of each other, they could ever not notice it. Even my oblivious father noticed it.

I kept trying to distract Kate from Swift and Noah, but she didn't budge.

"So, did you sleep well?" I had asked.

"Oh, yeah, uh, sure."

"Hot day, isn't it?"

"You should ask Sam."

"Weslin is so talented."

"Maybe later."

I gave up pretty fast on trying to talk to her, and I also gave up pretty fast on watching everyone else paint.

The painted servants tended to us all diligently. Just about every time I took a long sip, another servant would appear to fill up my soda, and the paint was continuously refilled for the painters, the brushes washed as soon as they were done with them, and new water given as soon as the old got too murky.

I felt so… useless. I couldn't talk to Kate. I couldn't help the painters. I couldn't even get my own stuff.

I was just sitting on a big, fluffy orange couch by the windows. We were in the paining room, and it was very different from the pristine rest of the house. The marble tile had gotten paint on it, and there were splatters on the wall from when Azul tried modern art. There were blank canvases galore, and there were many drying paintings everywhere you look.

It remained very clear to me that, though Azul loved all art, painting was truly his passion.

My passion was so far away from painting.

I loved the water. I loved sea creatures, especially those that weren't exactly supposed to exist. Every year, I looked forward to going to my grandfather's undersea castle, my typical Spring Break since I was about ten.

My brother's was soccer, I suppose. He always loved soccer so very much. Aside from that, I was pretty sure that British television (especially Doctor Who) had earned a pretty high place in his life, but family probably trumped it all. I knew without a doubt that, whenever he was done with soccer, family would be his life.

Sam loved soccer, and he was pretty business oriented as well. I wasn't sure he would take over the family business, which had branched out much farther than just architecture, but I knew he would be in business somehow.

Kate liked movies. She had a big thing for them, she was always watching them, always talking about them. She was already making screenplays, and I didn't know where that would take her. I just knew that she was talented, she had the right connections, and she was ambitious enough. She also loved family, and I could see her one day with her keyboard far away with her family.

But those "magic predicting abilities" that I thought I had were lost at that point. I could see nothing else.

And I didn't know where I would end up.

But, at the same time, I was so deathly afraid to know. I wasn't even sure what I wanted. I didn't know what to dream for, what to hope for, or even what to reach for.

This was the weird part for me. For the first time in my entire life, I was actually… _thirteen_. I was actually stuck between two guys. I was changing, I was hormonal, and I was confused.

My dad said that this happened to my mother. That her "genius just caught up to her, and she finally realized that she was still part human and still had to go through what everyone else did", and I guess I believed him. But I most certainly did _not_ think it would happen to _me._

And I really, _really_ didn't like it.

"Beautiful," Azul took a step back, smiling happily at a painting on an easel.

He didn't take much time to admire it before turning back to us, and he walked over to us, plopping himself down on the couch beside us with a big smile. A servant immediately appeared, and a cup of steaming hot coffee with foam forming an _A_.

"How are you two?" Azul smiled, taking a long sip of his coffee. The foam _A _stayed intact.

"Fine, thank you," I smiled weakly.

"Uh, yeah, you're right," Kate said absently, her lips coming to her soda, and her eyes didn't leave Swift and Noah, accusing them with every move they made.

Azul looked at me.

I shrugged and motioned towards Swift and Noah.

He shrugged, probably wondering how it will be when his little girl turns out to be a crazy teenager like the rest of us.

"Well, Charlotte then, can I entice you to come and see my new undersea room? I think you might be a better critic than Weslin and me. We like hiking, mountains, hills. Sea isn't our forte like it is you."

I smiled and nodded, happy to get away, and I followed Azul through the doors into the winding halls.

I wonder how on earth he didn't get lost.

Knowing this place perfectly, Azul stopped, pushing open a door to yet another one of the many art rooms this man had.

It was something out of _The Little Mermaid_, and I was expecting to see a little redhead mermaid to start singing dramatically about love.

The room was higher than the ground, the floor being nonsexist, you just didn't fall as you stepped. There were fish above and below us, swimming about. And it was like the rest of the magical "scene" rooms. It was just a box of a real place.

Even the monsters were around.

"You know, Charlie, I once had a sister. I remember she was about your age when I left. She was quite a special young girl, I thought. And she was quite torn. Her promised husband had just fell through, and she didn't know what would become of her life."

I could tell that Azul was trying to give me a pep talk or something, but I could tell that he hadn't ever given a thirteen year old a "life lesson" story in a very, _very_ long time if ever.

And I wasn't exactly sure how his little sister's lack of a fiancé at thirteen pertained to me, but I went with it.

"Now, I know that seems off topic given these times, but, what I mean is, thirteen year olds have been faced a future they can't see since the beginning of time. You needn't look so forlorn about it, Charlotte."

It had been so long since I was called by my full name that I had forgotten it really was mine.

I heard "Charlotte Lucia Jackson" quite a bit when people were mad at me. Jackson, I heard (mainly from annoyed camp counselors who expected more from the daughter of _the _Annabeth and Percy Jackson). Lucia, I heard (from Thalia who loved the honor given to Luke that I had his name). Charlie I heard _all_ _the time._

But Charlotte felt foreign.

"I know," I nodded, not sure what I could say.

"But that doesn't change anything, does it?" Azul smiled sympathetically, "You are just finding yourself! You don't know what you want, _who_ you want, or even really who you are. You are still growing into yourself."

It was like a light bulb suddenly appeared over his head as I watched an idea form in his head.

"Maybe I can help!"

I looked at him suspiciously.

"_Help_?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, Noah helped my daughter. Maybe I can return the favor by helping you."

I watched him carefully.

"_How?_"

He seemed stumped.

"Well… talking. You could tell me everything, get an expert opinion. I have lived a very long time, and I have been in many relationships, even with the goddess of love. I can help you with boy trouble," Azul motioned for two seats made out of coral, and I reluctantly took the chair.

We sat awkwardly staring at each other.

"Well," Azul began nervously, "Aiden is quite a good young fellow. He seems to like you very much."

Yes, he did, I suppose.

And that was the problem.

How could someone be so perfect? It felt too good to be true, and I had been taught not to trust "too good to be true" because it typically _wasn't_ true.

I didn't say anything.

"Chester is a handsome young lad. Very interesting."

Nothing still.

"This wasn't a very good idea," Azul frowned.

"No, no, it is very sweet. But I guess you just can't fix it. Thank you so much for trying, though. You said it, you just have to get older."

I smiled, and, for the first time, I really believed it.

"You are a very smart young lady, Charlotte."

"Call me Charlie."

_**Kate,**_

After breakfast, painting, and then lunch, we finally did set off.

Weslin looked like she might cry when she hugged Noah off, and I thought she was going to crawl into a hole in die when Aiden began to get in the car. For good measure, Aiden set her off with a goodbye kiss on the cheek to keep her from jumping off a cliff.

With a big painting, we had to split between Swift's car and the Jeep.

For the first time I was pretty sure_ ever_, Sam ditched and denied _the Jeep_. He got in the car with Swift and Aiden, never even looking back to his only constant love in his life, his car.

I thought Noah's eyes would bug out of his head as we watched Sam willingly walk away from the Jeep.

_He had it bad_, I realized. Worse than he had for any other girl I had ever seen him around. No girl had ever been able to compete with the Jeep. Sometimes, I was pretty sure that he would let me fall off a cliff if it came to the car going off the cliff or me.

I don't think I was ever so thankful to get Swift and Noah apart.

I liked Swift. I think we could have been friends really.

But I sure as Hades did not like her flirting with Noah.

It was like a tragic explosion, you know to duck and cover. But you watch in awe like an idiot, the debris prepared to assault you in punishment for your moment of stupidity.

I just couldn't look away. I couldn't focus on anything else. I couldn't even form intelligent thought.

I could only stare.

Suddenly, that nervous space between Noah and me that I had been trying to preserve in fear of Noah retreating if I didn't disappeared like it had never existed. I was in the front seat beside him, getting as physically close to him as I possibly could without alerting Charlie, being weird, blushing, or actually… _touching_ him.

But I had failed on the alerting Charlie mark.

She was staring, the look in her eyes matched with a smirk on her lips that I refused to turn around and see.

Chester was going back to sleep. He had said that he couldn't get any sleep in his room, and he passed out as soon as we got in the car.

The space was satisfying for bit, I will admit. It made me feel like I had a claim on Noah, that no other girl could have him. That I wouldn't have to go through the jealousy again. That I had won and Noah was the prize.

But it didn't take long before my smug smile turned into an unbearable frown.

I had not won. I most certainly did not have a claim on Noah. And any girl could have him, and I could and would have the same jealousy again and again.

It wasn't long before I was sick, and I found myself retreating from Noah and to lean on the window.

Suddenly, my phone felt heavy in my pocket, and I was more aware of it than I was pretty sure I had ever had been.

Suddenly, I just couldn't take it.

My fingers were itching to type, and I couldn't take it any longer.

I lingered on the email contact, and I finally and reluctantly pressed it.

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**Good morning, how did you sleep?**

I surveyed the message and quickly deleted it to start again.

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**Finally, I am awake on the road, not with a headache or carsick. And the stupid guy in the back of the car didn't get enough sleep and is asleep. Now I can't talk, have music on, or even breathe too loudly.**

**My day was good, but the car ride seems horrible now.**

**Well, that and of course the fact that I am currently stuck "Jealous Island" and have to sit in the car with the guy I am jealous about.**

**Please, please tell me that someone is having a good day and that the someone is you.**

**-Pixar**

I read it about five times, and I finally pressed the send button on my cell phone screen.

Now, I just sat back, watching the scenery fly by us.

This ride could not end fast enough.

I stared at my phone, waiting for it to buzz.

It did not.

Finally, I put my headphones in, and I did what every starlet did at some point in a teen movie.

I listened to a song, and I dramatically stared out the window as I contemplated life, love, and everything inbetween.

_When did I become so cliché_?

* * *

**Well, I updated (finally). I had IMing (finally). And they are back on the road (ehh, I didn't hear much moaning and groaning about that).**

**But I am working on school (I made a 100 on an Alegbra test, which I didn't even know was possible until now. Can I get booya! Yes, I am a Kim Possible fan). We have about two weeks left of school, and the busy summer is approaching.**

**Don't you fear though. I have a sea full of possible new stories, continuations of old and abandoned, and even a book to maybe write a sequel to. I will be writing!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, now I better get some sleep.**

**Oh, and happy Mother's Day!**


	28. Our True Dream

_**Noah,**_

Kate was fast asleep on my shoulder, her brown curls tumbling around the two of us. When we all stopped for gas about an hour ago, Sam was unable to stay away from his car (that or it was hard to hit on a girl when her younger brother is the one sitting in the passenger seat while you are in the back). He took over driving, and Charlie moved over to the car with Swift because Swift said she wanted to talk to her.

Chester watched them Swift's car from the passenger seat, and I was with Kate for the ride from then on. We didn't talk much at first. We were both on our phones. I was emailing Pixar, and she was doing gods-know-what. In fact, Kate seemed to be distancing herself from me.

And that was what I spent most of my conversation with Pixar talking about.

I talked to her for about an hour, and then we both signed off and said goodbye. Kate played on her phone for a little while longer before she put hers down, too.

Both Sam and Chester were too busy staring at the car in front of us to notice anything else, so Kate and I talked for a little bit. It was awkward small talk, and it made me realize that the freedom from awkwardness that we had with Azul had stayed with him when we left.

Suddenly, my mind was brought back to the kiss in Vegas. I couldn't look at her without remembering how she had looked that night, so amazingly beautiful. I couldn't look into her eyes without seeing the nervous look in her eyes. I couldn't look at her nervously rubbing her knuckle with her thumb without remembering that I had done that. I couldn't see her lips move to speak without remembering how they moved to kiss me. And I couldn't look at her without remembering the fact that I was the only one who knew these things.

But, while I couldn't forget it, I managed to move at least a little past it. And we got comfortable with each other enough to talk. And, just as we always seemed to, we were suddenly fine again. It was like we were back to a few years ago and best friends.

We were even comfortable enough where Kate fell asleep on me. She had been complaining about how tired she was, and, somehow, she ended up nestling her head on my shoulder. Now, she was fast asleep, and her rhythmic breathing was adorable.

I was stroking her hair, smiling down at her. There was nowhere else I would rather be…

And then the peaceful silence was broken.

"They're stopping. Sam noticed, "Why are they stopping? Kid, check my phone to see if they sent a message about it."

Chester, who had become "Kid" since Sam rejoined the car, had also learned to take orders, even if he moaned and groaned about it. He took out Sam's smartphone, and he looked through the messages as Swift's car began to turn off into a Waffle House.

"Nope, no message."

Sam watched them closer, and he followed them with the turn.

"Where are you going, Swift?" Sam thought aloud. Swift pulled her car into park at a random slot by Waffle House, and she turned off the car. Sam parked, and he basically jumped out the door as soon as the car was safely in park. Chester ran after him to go to Swift, both armed and convinced that something was up.

I stayed behind and began to try to wake up Kate.

"Kate," I began to shake Kate, rubbing her arm as her eyes began to blink open. She smiled up at me sleepily, her mind still waiting to turn on.

I felt a rush as she looked up at me, so tired but awake. Like I was the most amazing thing in the entire world. Like she loved me…

My entire body felt like it was stopping, and I couldn't move. I couldn't get away from her, I couldn't get up and go with the other's.

_This is the way I wanted to feel that morning_, I smiled, feeling a combination of a high and sadness. They were both so strong, reminding me of how good this felt and reminding me of how much I wanted to feel it when we woke up together in Vegas. And, while I was thinking about it, Kate was beginning to wake up, and, while she still had that look, I could feel our moment fleeting.

"What's going on?" she asked.

I was suddenly reminded of the fact that everyone else was going inside to find out why on earth Swift pulled over.

"Swift suddenly pulled off the road, going into Waffle House. They're going to check it out," I straighten my spine, which forces Kate to move and get off my shoulder. She moved back to her seat, and we both climbed out of the car and towards Swift's car where they were all talking.

"What do you mean, _You got hungry_?" Sam was staring at Swift like she was insane.

"I. Got. Hungry," Swift crossed her arms, "And this is food, is it not?"

Sam and Swift looked like they were headed towards a screaming match that would prove how stubborn they both were, which I thought would be rather entertaining and wanted to see. But Charlie stepped in and brought out her cell phone that was a gift from Hermes. Ever since he gave it to her (and it picked up her old number), she had been figuring it out and using it almost nonstop.

"It said come here," Charlie brought out a screen with a notification.

"Who is it from?" Sam asked, still looking at Swift.

"We don't know," Swift shrugged.

"And you were just going to go in there?!"

Swift moved her jacket to where we could see her gun and dagger.

"We were all armed. You were the one who wasn't prepared," she smirked

Sam glared at her, and she was still smirking.

"Come on, let's go, guys," Swift turned to Aiden and Charlie. She led them in, and Sam stared, not sure if this was hot or annoying. So he just followed, and we did, too.

Swift looked around, and a young waitress moaned as she put up her phone, knowing she would have to take care of all of us. But then someone stood.

He was about our age, and he looked like a tired college student. He was wearing a pair of Homer Simpson pajamas and a wrinkled grey tee shirt with a soft black hoodie. His black hair was a wild mess and had been slept in. His brown eyes were tired, but they were excited to see us. He is waving, though it lacks energy. He is slumped over, a little tired.

And I can tell exactly who it is given the message and his appearance.

"Hypnos," I looked at him, and he smiled.

"Come on, let's get waffles."

There was enough room for us all, and we all took a seat. I was across from him, and Kate was beside me, nervous. And I could tell she wanted to cling to my arm like she had been doing before. But she didn't.

"Ah, a woman of my kind. Tired. Hello, Kate," Hypnos smiled at Kate, which I pretty much took as him hitting on her, though I couldn't really tell. I tried not to glare, and I turned my attention to Charlie, who sat awkwardly between Aiden and Chester, both who refused to do the admiral thing and make it easier on her by sitting elsewhere. They both had their claim to her, and she had her claim to them. She didn't speak to either.

Sam and Swift were together, still being stubborn with one another about before.

It was funny to me how we all fit into little pieces of a group. There was the love-triangle sitting together. The couple that were into each other but didn't want to be together. And then there was Kate and me. I wasn't sure exactly what we were.

"Would you like a drink?" the young waitress asked, and Hypnos told us that we should. I got coffee like Kate, Chester, Sam, and Swift. Hypnos, Charlie, and Aiden all three got fruit juice, which shocked me. I expected Hypnos to grab coffee, but I guess it wouldn't have done much good anyhow.

There was small talk amongst us all as we waited for her return, and the drinks didn't take long to get to us. We all got them at once, and I was thinking of what we would probably say whenever he would later ask us of our journey and whether he would fall asleep during it when he raised his glass, telling us we should toast.

"To dreams."

I wasn't sure where he came up with it, but I toasted my coffee to his before taking a sip of the strong brew. I noticed his grin, and I was about to say something about it when the world turned black.

_**Kate**_,

One second, I was sitting at Waffle House and drinking my cup of coffee to wake me up, the next I was standing on the clouds of a starry night, the moon illuminating everything.

For most, this would have made them freak out. It still kind of got me on edge, but I wasn't going to freak. When you are related to a god, it means you are different. Now, it could mean that you just happen to like owls a lot and nothing important happens to you that would cause you to learn that the goddess of owls is in your DNA. But it could also, and does in this case, mean that things get crazy and gods get weird.

And this was nothing if not weird.

Hypnos sat on throne made of mattresses, wearing a blue silk robe and a sleeping cap. He looked a bit more prestigious, but I still saw the tired college kid that I did at Waffle House. He was holding a scepter and leaning back sleepily on his throne.

"Hello, Kate," he yawned.

I stared at him, mad that he was so calm. I was probably angrier about his calm demeanor than the fact that he kind of kidnapped me.

"Where are we?" I looked around, "Where are the others?"

I didn't see anyone, just a sky full of clouds fluffy and stable enough to walk on. The stars were everywhere and were more beautiful than I had ever seen them to be before. The moon was so big, but I didn't see Artemis or any of the other gods. It was just Hypnos and me.

"I don't know," Hypnos shrugged, and I stared at him, "It is just a part of my imagination, I guess. We aren't really _anywhere_."

I am not sure what to do with that information.

"Well, how did we get here?"

"I put something in your drinks that put you to sleep, and, as god of sleep, I just kinda snapped my fingers. And we got here."

"How?"

Hypnos shrugged.

I was getting annoyed easily with Hypnos, and I wasn't too great at hiding my annoyance.

"Well then, why?"

Now Hypnos smiled, sitting up straighter.

"To keep you going, to keep all of you going. To remind you of what you want and why you are fighting for it," Hypnos smiled, "To show your dream."

"What are you talking about?" I stared at him, his words jumbling up in my brain and not making sense. What was he talking about? What dream was he referring to? And what did it have to do with morale on our quest?

"See for yourself, Kate," he snapped, and things began to fade again. The moon was dulling, the stars were disappearing, the clouds were evaporating, and everything was turning to black.

I was frantic, looking around and calling out to Hypnos.

And then the vision took control of me…

* * *

_**Kate's Dream…**_

"_I love you, Aaron. I do. I didn't mean anything I've done or said. I was always trying to get you," _I said aloud as I typed the line to the latest episode of the TV drama I had been working on for three years. It wouldn't go down as a classic, but I liked it and so did the viewers that kept it going on.

My fingers kept working on the keyboard, writing the great admission of love between two of the star characters. I had been chosen to write the scene simply because I was the best, and they wanted the best for this scene.

Naturally, this was a chance to show off my abilities as a writer. And, naturally, I was blocked.

I had done everything for inspiration, even gone online to see what fans had posted they wanted for it. Nothing. I mean, there were some good suggestions, but nothing that felt really right. So I just stared at my computer screen.

I tried to call on my own life for inspiration, but I had never been in a situation where, after three seasons of loving each other and betrayal against each other, I was suddenly telling somebody that I loved him and trying to convince him not to hate me.

So I just kind of stared at my laptop.

"You're still writing," someone wrapped their arms around me from behind me, and they put their head on top of mine. Their breath smelled of salty sea air and the cinnamon tooth paste I loved and kept in our bathroom. Their soft tee shirt smelled of the ocean scented fabric softener that I had started buying recently.

I smiled, leaning back into the person.

"I am so close, I just need Elise to tell Aaron that she loves him. And they're golden."

"That's a big step, you can't rush it," the person intertwined their hand with mine, and I felt the cold metallic feeling of a ring. I looked down and smiled at our matched platinum wedding bands.

I rubbed my thumb over the ring, loving every day that I was the one who got to give it to him.

"And, while Elise tries to put all of her emotions into words, I am going to start on the morning chores," he kissed the top of my head, and I smiled. I loved my husband, I loved him more every day.

"Thank you," I squeezed his hand, and he kissed the top of my head once more before disappearing out of my office and leaving me with a computer screen.

I thought about what I feel for my husband, and I jotted down a new line to add in somewhere.

"_I want to wake up one morning and smell my toothpaste in your mouth. I want to smell the fabric softener on your shirt that I just bought. I want to give you a wedding band and smile every time I see it,"_ I wrote it down quickly on my nearby notepad, and I went back to the beginning lines that need to deliver three years-worth of emotion.

I was about to start hitting my head on my desk when I heard the adorable scamper of feet on the floors.

My smile turned wider than before, and I knew that my husband had woken them up.

There was scampering that only a little boy running from brushing his teeth could make, and there were giggles that only a little girl could make.

I could see it now. My husband would be dragging the little boy out of bed, saying he had to get up if he liked it or not. The little girl would giggle up a storm, and either my husband would carry him to the kitchen where he would plop him down on one of the chairs while the little girl ran of her free accord.

And her little feet were running towards my door.

I smiled, turning around in my chair to great her. My heart melted and my smile widened. The little girl was about three or four, wearing a pair of multicolored owl pajamas, and her brown curls were dancing around her as she ran towards me. She was giggling, and her smile was the most precious thing I had ever seen in the entire world.

"Mommy!"

She ran into my arms, and I hugged her tightly, kissing her hair as I held what was one of the most precious things in the entire world to me.

"Hey, Baby," I pushed the little girl's hair out of her eyes, "How did you sleep? Did you have any more nightmares?"

I had been worrying about it from the night she had first appeared in my room, pouting as she ran in saying that she had a nightmare and that she needed to sleep with us. My husband assured me that it was normal for kids to have nightmares and that she would be fine, but my baby girl shared the blood of a god. I would never _not worry_.

The little girl shook her head proudly, and I kissed the top of her head.

"That's wonderful, Honey."

I heard sound of stomping into the kitchen, and I knew the little boy was up.

"What happened now?"

"Daddy said he had to get up or he would have to stay here and watch Spongebob while you work when we are going to the beach with Grandpa."

I knew that this was the ultimate threat. The children adored their grandparents on both sides, but the beach with Grandpa was something special. And they all knew it.

"I bet he got up, huh?"

The little girl, nodded her curls flying as she did.

"Come on, let's go check on those crazy boys."

I close my laptop with my hand before standing up and pulling her to sit on my waist. I carried her out of my office, closing the door again, and I began through the house.

It was New Athens.

I knew these plans.

Aunt Annabeth had made these buildings. She always kept some small, beautiful room that could be used as an office or playroom, though she made it typically clear that she wanted it to be an office.

I took the baby girl down the stairs where I got more of a confirmation of the Greek style and modern amenities that New Athens was famed for. The windows had been retracted to let the sheet curtains waft around the pillars and call us towards the backyard, but the button to close them again was waiting. Everything was beautiful and regal of Athens but still modern and functional.

I took her to the kitchen, where there was a seven year old little boy. He was completely beautiful. His hair was pitch black and curly, and his eyes were crystal blue. His smile was adorable, and he reminded me of…Noah.

I put down the little girl, and she pulled herself up to the chair across from her brother.

"Hey, Baby, you alright?" I smile at the beautiful boy, and he looks up at me.

"Daddy said I couldn't go to the beach with Grandpa!" the little boy points to where the sound of bacon sizzling is beginning to make me hungry.

And then what I swear to be the handsomest man in the entire world turns back to me, a smile on his lips.

"I did not. I said that, _if he didn't get up_, he couldn't go. He got up," he smirked.

I just kept smiling as I thought about how many times I had dreamed about this in my lifetime.

Daddy. The "Daddy" of my children was the complete man of my dreams. He was the guy I had known for as long as I could remember. He was my best friend, he was the guy I fell in love with when he graduated, and he was the guy I pushed away out of fear. But I did it.

I got him.

He was my mine.

Forever.

I woke up in the morning to him. I saw the wedding band that I put on his finger every day. I knew that his toothpaste was mine, that his hair smelled of the shampoo I bought him, and that his clothes smelled of what I put in the washing machine. My beautiful children were given to me by him, they call him "Daddy".

After everything we had been through together, Noah Jackson was mine, and I was his was.

"See you can still go," I smiled, running my fingers through the little boy's hair.

"Your mom gets it, too," Noah smiled, crossing his arms. I got up give my husband a peck on the cheek, and, the closer I get to him, the more it feels like a dream.

I smiled at him, looking back at the little boy and remembering a time when he looked and sometimes _act _like that. I got up, and I went to help Noah with breakfast.

"Your son is just like you," I whispered.

"I was not that stubborn."

I laughed, shaking my head.

"Sure, you weren't Noah," I shook my head.

He turned back to the little girl and smiled.

"But you certainly were just as adorable as our baby girl," Noah smiled, looking back at her with the sweetest look I swear I have ever seen.

"What do you mean 'I was'?" I laughed.

"Because now you are amazingly gorgeous," he wrapped his arms around my waist, leaving the bacon cooking, and his eyes looked straight into mine, almost stopping my heart. He leaned in to kiss me, but the perfect kiss was cut short by our son.

"Ew!"

Noah pulled away, and I came up to our son, tickling him.

"Ew yourself, Kiddo!"

* * *

Suddenly, it was gone. I wasn't in New Athens in one of the homes my aunt had built. I was not in a kitchen with my husband cooking breakfast for our amazing children. I wasn't married to Noah, and he wasn't saying how much he loved me all the time. We didn't have two children. There wasn't a little boy who was just like his father and was currently upset about the threat of not going to the beach with their grandfather. There wasn't a little girl who looked just like me in owl pajamas.

It was all gone.

It had never existed.

The motherly love had evaporated, and I didn't feel the bliss of feeling a cold wedding band on my finger that Noah had given to me.

I suddenly felt hollow.

"Why did you show me that?" I was angry at Hypnos for giving me such happiness and snatching it away.

"Because you had to see it, Kate."

_**Noah,**_

One sip of my black coffee, and I was out.

It wasn't a gentle fade. It was just suddenly black. Everything was gone. It hit sharply with no warning beforehand.

One second, I was in a Waffle House, still thinking about that look Kate had given me when she woke up after falling asleep on my shoulder. Hypnos had gotten us all drinks, and I was bringing my cup of hot coffee to my lips and taking a sip.

Then, just as the hot coffee is running over my tongue, the world was black and everything was gone.

Then, just as fast and just as sudden as how it went to black, there was light once more.

It was night, the sky as black as ink. The stars were everywhere I looked, shining brighter and looking bigger than ever before. The moon was clearer than I had ever seen before. I was standing on a cloud like it was a platform, and it held me up. There was a sleepy little down below me, unaware that I was there.

And Hypnos sat on a cloud as well. The guy that once reminded me of a tired and possibly hungover college kid was now clearly a god. He was holding a scepter and sitting on a throne made of mattresses, and he suddenly looked somewhat regal.

"Hello, Noah," Hypnos yawned.

I looked around frantically.

"Where am I?"

Hypnos seemed to think about it, and he finally shrugged.

"I don't really know."

I stared at him.

"You don't…_know_?"

"Not really, this is a figment of my imagination. We could be anywhere or we could be nowhere," Hypnos shrugged as if this was common knowledge.

I wasn't sure what to say, how to press him, or anything.

So, I decided to ask my other questions.

"Where is everyone else then?"

"That is also a complicated question."

"Then why am I here?!" I was now getting angry.

"Ahh! There! I can give you answer to that!" he was excited that he could answer me, but, even when he was excited, he was tired.

It was almost pitiful, looking at a guy who would never be fully awake and would never be energetic no matter what he did.

"I am here to boost your morale! And to remind you of what you are fighting for!"

"Charlie," I answered without hesitation, "I am fighting for Charlie."

Hypnos's sleepy eyes met mine with an all-knowing glance, and he shook his head.

"Not just Charlie."

I stared at him, wondering what he meant.

"I am going to show you your dream, Noah Jackson."

Before I could say anything else, he snapped his fingers, and the world turned to black.

* * *

_**Noah's Dream…**_

It was a hot summer day. The heat hit us all full force, the sun unmercifully pounding its heat on us. There was a gentle breeze to try to help the heat, and it made it more relaxing. But it was still hot, and I still kept bringing my cold drink to my lips to cool me down.

We were out by the Camp Half-Blood lake on the little beach lying inside of New Athens. There were not many out. They were all smart enough to hide indoors with their fans on high and the AC down low. But we had apparently not gotten the memo.

My baby sister was lying on a beach towel, holding a book over her head as she tried to read just as she had every summer since she was seven. Only she wasn't a baby girl anymore.

She was all grown up.

She looked so much like Annabeth it was almost scary. She had grown into herself now. She was tall and lean, and guys fell all over her. Her skin was tanned, and there was a tattoo on her ankle of a date that I didn't really know. Her blonde curls were everywhere, and her sea green eyes were intently looking at the words on the page.

Charlie wasn't wearing The Little Mermaid Swimsuit she adored and always wore as a kid. She was not wearing Annabeth's sunglasses, and her book was _Something Borrowed_, not something from the tween area of the bookstore. She wasn't wrapped up in a big blue beach towel.

And she wasn't looking back at me, silently begging to go back into the water or for me to give her a piggy back ride.

She looked to be in her early twenties.

My little Charlotte was all grown up…

"So, where's your boy?" a girl stepped out onto the sand, and I could see her foot nudge Charlie.

Charlie put down the book, and she put her hand to where she was shielding her eyes from the sun. She was so grown up that it almost killed me…

"Working," Charlie sighed with a small smile, "You know him."

Then she seemed to notice something else. She sat up and smiled wide, putting out her arms.

"Come here, Baby! You know you want to hang out with me!" Charlie gave her a big smile, giving her a _'Come Here'_ motion. It was the same motion I used to give her when she was little when I wanted to hug her.

"Auntie Charlie!" a little girl's voice yelled happily, and I peered up to see that the woman who had nudged Charlie was holding a little girl who looked to be about three or four.

And the woman holding the little girl was none other than Katherine Moore, my best friend and dream girl.

Kate handed the little girl to Charlie, who hugged her tightly, and Charlie began to talk to her as Kate sat down on the sand beside me, leaning onto me, and I wrapped my arm around her. Charlie was talking about how much she looked like her mother and all that jazz. But I couldn't listen, I could only feel Kate leaning on me and putting her head on my shoulder.

Then her hand wrapped around mine, and I felt the coolness of something metal.

I looked down and saw our matching wedding bands, and I brought her hand up to my lips.

Kate smiled at me, and she leaned her head back on my shoulder. Her eyes drifted to the water.

"Baby," Kate nudged me, and I looked at her.

Kate looked even more beautiful now. Her brown curls were in a braid down her back, and her hair was out of her beautiful face. Her grey eyes were so warm and so happy, happier than I had ever seen them. She wasn't wearing a bit of make-up, and I liked her better that way.

She pointed to the water where a little boy was swimming around like an expert, gliding through like Charlie did as a child. He was getting farther and farther from us, and he was getting closer and closer to where the lake monsters swam mostly.

I knew what Kate wanted me to do, and, even if it hadn't been her telling me to do it, I knew I would have anyway.

I took out my hand, and I made a pulling motion.

The boy who had been swimming out to far began to glide back to us, the water obeying my wish.

"DAD!" the little boy yelled angrily, and I looked back to Kate.

"Thank you, Honey," Kate kissed my cheek.

"Aw," Charlie cooed, and we both looked back to her to see that she was holding on to the little girl with her head on the little girl's shoulder, "Aren't your parents so adorable?"

The little girl nodded fast, and Charlie smiled at her job well done.

"You know, Baby, you should ask Auntie Charlie when she is going to give you a cousin?" Kate smiled victoriously.

Charlie reddened, and she looked down to the little girl as she turned around and began to ask when she would get married and if she could be in the wedding. Charlie blushed a deeper shade of red with every question.

"Can I wear pink to your wedding? I like pink! You should wear pink, too!" the little girl keeps going, "You know, he really loves you. I heard him say it once."

"Oh, Honey," Charlie put her hand over the little girl's mouth, "Do you want to go in the water? I'll go with you."

The little girl nodded, and Charlie picked her up and began to take her in the lake while she glared at the two of us.

"It feels so weird seeing the girl that was once the baby in the family all grown up and carrying our baby," Kate squeezed my hand tightly, and I rubbed her arm with my free hand.

"You had to say that," I laughed.

"She'll marry him, you know that. In a few years, we will be holding her baby."

"That was the perfect thing to say to me," I pouted, putting my head on top of hers.

"She is grown up, has her own life," Kate smiled, "I'm proud of her."

She looked back to me.

"You know, I'm proud of us, too."

She leaned in to kiss me, and I smiled wide as I leaned in with her.

* * *

Right as our lips were about to touch, the world turned to black again, and I opened my eyes to see the clouds again. Hypnos was still sitting there as if nothing had happened. His head was back on the mattress throne, and I could tell that he was about to fall asleep.

"Hypnos!"

He sat up straight and tried to pretend that he hadn't been about to fall asleep.

"Hey, so, how'd it go?"

I didn't know what to say.

Kate.

Kate had been my wife. We had two kids. We were happy. Our baby girl knew Charlie as her aunt and asked her if she could wear pink in her wedding. We had a son who I had to pull in with my water powers. Kate and I had matching wedding bands…

It was too much to think about, it was swarming around too fast.

And I couldn't forget the way it felt for her to be tucked in my arms, to hold my hand, to have her head on my shoulder.

It killed me that it was gone, that she was gone, and that the two of us weren't together.

"I will take that as a not so good."

Hypnos shrugged.

"You just had to see that you aren't just fighting for Charlie.

_**Charlie,**_

It was awkward to sit there between Aiden and Chester, especially given the fact that I had been in the car with Aiden and Swift instead of being in the car with Chester. They both seemed to sense that it was a big deal, which I wished they wouldn't. Swift was the one who wanted me in the car, but I couldn't blame it on her like I wanted. I had decided to get in the car with her and with Aiden.

I had gotten closer to Chester when we were in Vegas, and that had been things a little more awkward between us all, which I did not even know was possible. I didn't speak to either much when we were with Azul, but I did keep smiling whenever Aiden was being sweet to Weslin.

And it was almost as if I had started World War III by getting out of the Jeep.

I was trying not to think about it as I took a sip of my juice, and I didn't have to deal with it long as the first taste of the orange juice on my tongue made the world turn black.

And, almost as suddenly as everything was black, I was standing on clouds, a sleepy little town below. The stars were bright and more numerous that I had ever seen, and moon was bright and so easy to see every mark on it. And then there was Hypnos.

Wearing a silk robe. Holding a scepter. And sitting on a throne made of mattresses.

Nothing about this was normal.

But nothing had been normal in my life.

_Ever_.

So, I guess I adjusted to this shock pretty easily and pretty fast.

"Hi, Charlie," he waved, and I let out a weak wave as I kept looking around.

"Hi, Hypnos."

He yawned.

"So, uh…" I looked at him, "Where are me?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

"Long story."

"Where is everyone else?"

Hypnos shrugged.

"It is really complicated."

"Complicated," I thought aloud, nodding, and I began to wonder if his tiredness was hurting him in the logic department.

Hypnos nodded.

"So, um, why am I here then?"

"Oh, you know. Tell you your dream. Keep up morale. The typical."

I knit my eyes in confusion.

"This is _typical?_"

"I've done it before."

"You have?"

He nodded.

"I know you have a lot questions, I get it. But I kinda need a nap, so yeah."

I knit my eyebrows, and I was about to question him when he snapped his fingers.

* * *

_**Charlie's Dream…**_

_Come on, stay. We haven't spoken in forever_, Elizabeth told me, the sea monster's eyes begging.

Elizabeth was a sea monster that I had been running into since I started working at the Camp Half-Blood Lake aquatics center. I had majored in Marine Biology, and I had hoped to work in New Athens. I was about to take an offer in Bermuda when my uncle who worked as marine biologist decided to open a program working to protect and care for the water at Camp Half-Blood, and he _really _wanted someone related to Poseidon and Athena. I took it as soon as I could manage past the shock and excitement. I met and named Elizabeth my first day.

And Elizabeth had become a pretty good friend since.

"I have to get home. But I have to go into the water on Monday. We can catch up then."

_Fine,_ Elizabeth swam off, and I stood up from the dock, walking towards the office.

"You're still here?" my coworker, Ethan, asked, as he was putting on his coat.

"Yeah, I'm leaving though," I grabbed my bag from my desk, and I gave the fish in the fish tank food before I was going to leave.

"Bye, Charlie," he smiled before leaving, but I wasn't too far behind him.

The center was on the edge of town, and I had to drive, which was pretty uncommon in New Athens. There wasn't much traffic, which felt great after having grown up in New York City. I was thinking about the commute I had done when I was kid to get to and from school, and I happily noted that it was a much shorter ride to the school.

It was the last day of school, and, as I drove up, everything was jittery as everyone was dying to get out. All three schools were near each other in what was known as the school area. The Elementary School, Middle School, and High School all had their own pick-ups, and there was a central pick up that I would later have to use. But, for now, I could just drive up to the elementary pick-up.

I smiled as I looked out through the faces of kids as the bell rang and they all started out of the school.

And then I saw them.

There was a beautiful little girl who looked to be about nine was holding the hand of a little boy who looked to be about five.

I smiled as I waved at them, and the little boy's face lit up as he waved. The little girl smiled, too, and they both hurried towards me. The little girl opened the door for her little brother before jumping in the front seat, excited and ready to tell me all about her day. I smiled as I listened while helping the little boy and making sure he was safely buckled in.

As the little girl began to finish up her story, I smiled.

"I'm glad it was a good day, Honey," I kissed the top of her head, and she blushed, mortified.

"Mom, there are _people_ around!"

I rolled my eyes.

"No one is around. We are driving."

"People can see in the car."

I shook my head as I kept driving.

"How was your day, Sweetie?" I looked in the rearview mirror to see the little boy in a Spiderman tee shirt.

"Fun! Mrs. Greene let us watch The Lorax, and we got popcorn. And David threw some in Lara's hair," the little boy smiled contently.

He was so unbelievably adorable.

"Hey, so is Dad home?" the girl seemed to be over her embarrassment as she turned back to me, and I frowned as I shook my head.

"Sorry guys, he'll be home tomorrow. I promise," I watched as a bit of their New Summer Joy began to dull, and I tried to deflect it by turning on the radio and letting the little girl control the dial while the little boy got out a video game to play.

It did not take very long to get to our house towards the edge of the town, closer to the lake.

As soon as the car was parked, the two kids had already jumped out of the car, and they were hurrying towards the door, probably wanting to change into swimsuits and head down to the lake. I got out of the car and walked towards the door at a normal pace, but they were acting like it was an eternity.

I unlocked the door and let the two kids come in.

They both happily discarded of their backpacks at the door, and my daughter stopped to feed the fish that she called GiGi in the living room before sitting down on the sofa beside her brother. I came into the living room, and I was going to get my laptop from the kitchen when my son was turning the channel to _Johnny Test_.

I was sitting in my favorite chair and turning on the computer when my children both gasped.

"Daddy!" my son yelled as he began to run towards the door, and my daughter was running even faster.

I turned around, putting down my laptop, and there he was in the flesh.

He put his bag on the floor just in time before the two kids basically trampled him with their hugs. He wrapped them up both in a tight embrace, and he began to tell them how much he missed them before giving them both a kiss on the top of their heads.

He looked to me, and I smiled.

And the next thing I knew, I was wrapped up in a hug, too, and he was telling me how much he missed me. He gave me a brief kiss before our two children would start screaming about how gross we were.

I smiled so wide I thought that the smile wouldn't even fit on my face. I wrapped my hand around his and felt the cool metal of a wedding ring, and that made me smile even wider. He smiled back at me just wide, and he turned back to the kids.

"So, I'm thinking we go get pizza to celebrate the start of the summer. Do you think that is a good plan?"

They both eagerly nodded, and he smiled down at them.

"Go get ready then."

They both went off, and I looked back at him with a smile.

"You came home early."

"I missed you guys," he pushed my hair out of my eyes, and I smiled at him.

"I missed you, too."

He wrapped his arms around me, and he leaned in to kiss me.

And the moment was gone.

* * *

I was back with Hypnos in the clouds, who was well into a good nap.

I wanted to wake him up and get mad at him for falling asleep, but I was silent. I didn't move, I barely breathed. I might as well have turned into a statue of Charlie. I stood there, just staring at Hypnos as my mind began to race.

I wasn't sure my brain had ever worked so fast. Thoughts were running in and out of my head. Memories were remembered. Faces recognized once more. And feelings resurfaced. It was like my entire brain was on meltdown, and it was threatening to explode from the pressure.

But I was frozen and peaceful on the outside.

Hypnos was beginning to wake, and he noticed me once more.

"So, you're shocked I take it."

No answer.

"If you really think about it, it isn't that surprising, and you know it. You're just scared to admit it," Hypnos told me, and I knew we were thinking about the same thing. I had seen the face of the man I loved, the one I wanted to have a family with, the one that was part of my dream life.

And I knew exactly who it was.

_**I am sorry. Drama happened. I exempted all of my exams. School ended. A bunch of teachers were fired for who-knows-why (they kept the bad ones and got rid of the good ones) and I might be moving schools. My birthday was yesterday. And summer is here.**_

_**Okay, I will update more. I promise. I do not know why I haven't before now, I really don't. I am behind on updating all of my stuff, what is wrong with me?**_

_**Anyway, I hope you loved this chapter. I wanted to do this, and I was going to do it later. But I just kinda decided that it would fit in now. So, here it is. **_


	29. The Dream Home

_**Kate,**_

I woke with a start.

I was in a large King Size bed that was the softest bed I had ever and probably ever would feel. Everything was a shade of crème, and it was the perfect amount of darkness for sleeping. The sheets were perfectly cool and sweet, and my pillow was the perfect pillow that thousands of ads promised you would find in their product, though you never actually did. And there was a scent in the air that I couldn't truly place.

It was so tempting to just slide back into the sheets and sleep again, but I was reminded of my dream that Hypnos showed me.

I couldn't stop thinking about it. I hadn't gotten to complain to Hypnos about showing me something so sweet and taking it away because, after talking for a second or two, he snapped his fingers and I woke up here. I knew I now would not be able to because I wouldn't be alone with Hypnos.

I wondered what it would be like to see Noah again knowing that we were no longer married in New Rome with two kids and madly in love, especially considering that never happened to anyone but me. I wondered if we would talk about it, if I could.

I began to question who he saw.

Noah had always wanted family life. If anything, he wanted it more than I did and always had. We had talked about it a lot when we were younger. Noah had a little plan, though I wasn't sure he still had it now. He wanted to be married by the time he was about twenty-seven. He wanted to be a father by the time he was thirty, and he wanted to live in a family area (if not the suburbs) by the time he was thirty-four.

I had never made a timeline because I always thought life wouldn't cater to it, but Noah had trust in his timeline. I had always found that cute about Noah.

And I knew that, even if he didn't keep the timeline, he would still have that all…

I wondered who he had it with. I wondered if I knew her. I wondered what she looked like, what she acted like, and what she had that I didn't have.

It was enough to drive me crazy thinking about it.

I couldn't stop wondering about a girl that didn't even technically exist! It was a _dream_. He could have dreamed of Kate Upton, and it wouldn't really mean anything other than he was like many other guys who wanted to marry Kate Upton.

But, at the same time, it did mean something. It meant something that it was Kate Upton he wanted instead of Kate Moore. It meant that the mother of his children was someone else. It meant that, if he wanted me in his life at all during that stage, I was to be Auntie Kate.

I suddenly felt like crawling into bed and never coming out.

But that would leave me to sulk, and, if I faced everyone, I would have to pretend nothing was wrong. And, as I had learned before, if I pretend long enough, I might just be able to fool myself…

I slid out of bed to find that I was in a pair of soft crème pajamas, and, surprisingly, the only thing not of the white or crème colors was a dress waiting on me in a chair.

Well, no, it did have white. It was a Grecian maxi dress with white on the top, a braided brown belt, and a tan color on the bottom. It was flowy, and it fit me perfectly. I didn't see any shoes nearby, nor would I have probably worn them given how soft the carpet was.

I nervously walked out of my room and found that I was in a home on the clouds. The floor to ceiling windows and glass roof let me see everything around me, and it was beautiful. It was morning, but the sky seemed subdued and sleepy instead of energetic and cheerful.

I began to walk towards the grand staircase that I could see from my room, and it was even more amazing on the level blow.

For one thing, there were no walls. There probably was something to keep you from just walking off, but you could see everything around you. For another, there was no floor.

It was just clouds.

I could walk on them fine and everything, but they were just clouds.

I slowly made my way through the home, looking at everything in awe before I found the dining room where the grand breakfast was set out. Hypnos smiled up at me, sipping at his coffee. He seemed almost to have a shared secret with me, as if knowing my dream was an inside joke. I didn't like it, and I honestly didn't like anyone knowing, not even Hypnos.

I looked around to find Charlie sitting there, mindlessly stirring her cereal as she was lost in thought. We were wearing the same thing, and it looked amazing on her. But she seemed less rested and much more conflicted than me.

Sam was up, wearing a similar color scheme of a white shirt and tan pants, and he didn't seem in the best mood. But he wasn't as sad as Charlie. Swift looked pissed, though I wasn't sure if it was over her dream or the fact that she was being forced to wear a dress by an immortal being _again_.

Noah was also here, and his eyes were undoubtedly completely on me. I knew that I should sit by him. We were friends after all, and we had been sitting together for the last few days. Yesterday, I fell asleep on him, and he basically carried me into Waffle House. But now things seemed to be different. No, now things were different.

I sat on the opposite side of Charlie instead of beside him.

And he noticed.

I was watching my plate fill up with pancakes, bacon, and all of the other delicious breakfast treats when the last two members of our party arrived.

Aiden looked handsome today, even I had to admit. His smile was warm, and his face was rested. His features, which had recently seemed stronger and much more intimidating seemed softer and sweeter. His look of trying to figure out everything, of worrying for everyone, had been dialed down, and he was even smiling. The New Rome soldier in him was gone for now, and it had just left Aiden.

Chester was also handsome but in a different way. His hair was ruffled and not done in his typical style. He seemed upset about his attired, and I could almost hear him wondering where his band tee shirts had gone. He looked somewhat tired and definitely more stressed.

We all wished each other a good morning, but none of us except for Aiden seemed to be in a good mood. And even his friendly disposition of the day faded as he watched Charlie.

She refused to look at him.

I wondered what Charlie saw. Before, we had never really spoken of it.

I guess, in ways, we did. We did the normal talks. I told her that I wanted a little girl and a little boy and that I wanted the little boy to be older since it seemed to be a custom in our family. She told me that she also wanted two kids one day, but we never went into detail about it. She wanted to be a marine biologist, but it was never something we discussed at length. And I knew that she would probably one day move to the safety of New Athens.

But we had tried not to talk about it. We didn't know that Charlie would live long enough for any of it, and it hurt to get our hopes up like that for something that might never happen.

I suddenly felt guilty for not knowing what Charlie's dream was. I knew Noah's. I knew Sam's. Charlie knew ours. But not one of us knew hers. I wasn't even sure that _she_ knew hers until now.

"Hello, everyone," Hypnos was smiling as he sipped at coffee, and he looked at everyone with that knowing look as if he knew all of their secrets. I guess, in a weird way, maybe he did.

We all managed weak hello's and good morning's to each other. None of us wanted to talk. We all seemed just as afraid as I was about Hypnos sharing our dreams. I wondered what the others were.

Sam had always loved soccer, and he had it. I knew somewhere inside of him wanted more than his womanizing ways, and I assumed that he would one day give it all up and have a few kids. Maybe he would get married out of the deal, though Sam swore he was never getting married.

I didn't really know Swift, and I didn't know Chester. And Aiden was certainly mysterious.

It wasn't until I was sitting at this table that I realized I didn't know much about the people around me, not even Charlie. I had known Charlie her entire life, but I didn't really know everything about her like I said I did. I only knew everything about Noah, and there were still things I needed to know. There was still time in his life I knew nothing about.

For all I knew, Noah was a different person now. Maybe he had a different dream. Or maybe he had a different girl in that dream…

Noah's eyes met mine, and I blushed and wanted to look away. But I didn't. For a second, we had complete eye contact, and it was as if there were no fears, no suspicions, nothing bad. I felt complete bliss looking at him, the same happiness I had felt in my dream…

_**Noah,**_

After breakfast, Hypnos told us to relax and to stick around while he took a "well needed" nap. I accepted this and took a look around the mansion in the sky, especially since only Aiden with his wings could have gotten away from here.

It was getting to be afternoon now. The sun was higher in the sky, and the clouds reflected it back into the home, illuminating everything. The sky seemed to be empty with just Hypnos's mansion sitting on the clouds. But, despite the more direct sunlight, things still felt sleepy. There wasn't much noise. Just a soft sound of the whistling wind that you easily adjusted to. All of the crème and white was relaxing, so relaxing that it seemed to be slowly lulling you to sleep.

We were in our own little world. It was just us on the clouds.

It was a peaceful serenity that inspired being close to one another, relaxing, and maybe even taking a nap.

But that would have been if Hypnos hadn't just changed everything by showing us our dreams.

Now we knew what we wanted, even if we didn't want to admit it. We also knew that our friends knew what they wanted out of life. This should have been nice. Like knowing if Sam was really devoted to his plan of never getting married or not.

But that would have been without Charlie's awkward silence and avoidance of Chester and Aiden. Or Sam's chronic crush on Swift that was driving him insane and questioning everything he thought he knew about how to get girls. Or how Swift "hates" him so much that it begs to question if she actually likes him.

Or given the greatest fact of all that I had been in love with Kate basically my entire life.

And I didn't know who was in her dream.

She was in mine, I wanted to be with her forever. I already knew that, though this had given me the shaking suspicion that I might not ever be able to settle for less. I wanted her to be my wife who I would spend the rest of my life with. I wanted her to be the mother of my children. I wanted to spend beach days with her watching after our kids and teasing my little sister who wasn't so little anymore.

But I wasn't sure who was in hers. I didn't know who she wanted to spent the rest of her life with. I didn't know who she would want to father her children. I didn't know who Kate would smile at and tell that Charlie loved her boyfriend and would marry him. I didn't know what her dream was like.

And I desperately wanted to know.

But, at the same time, I didn't. I didn't want to hear that I was not her dream. That there was someone out there who she did want and that it would never be me.

I suddenly felt like throwing up all of my breakfast as I sat on the crème sofa looking out to the clouds.

We had all separated. Charlie didn't seem to want to be around anyone at all, and she went to bed. I probably should have gone up there and talked to her, but I knew she wouldn't want to be bothered. Sam had disappeared. So had Swift. And Aiden wanted to get some fresh, high-altitude air. Chester was lying in the living room with a pillow over his head. And Kate was hugging her knees as she looked out to the clouds.

We were so close that it felt as though we should go over and join each other's company. But there was also this space between us that was clearly there and reminded you that it must have been there for a reason, and I knew that reason.

I wanted to break the space so much. I wanted to go back to yesterday. I wanted to go back to when we were comfortable enough for Kate to fall asleep on my shoulder in the car. I wanted to go to back to when Kate and I had just gotten comfortable with each other after Vegas.

I closed my eyes tight as I thought back to that moment in Vegas. It was really nothing I suppose, just a drunken kiss before our alcohol-full bodies fell asleep. But it wasn't "nothing" to me. It was driving me insane. It felt amazing, it was a perfect moment where Kate loved me and I loved her, and I had to feel it again and again. It was like I was addicted to it, and I was going through the worst withdraw _ever_.

"Are you alright?"

My eyes flew open to see that Kate was standing in front of me, looking down at me like she used to look at me when we were little kids and I got hurt when we were playing. Her eyes were sympathetic, but it wasn't the strong sense where she would run to me and almost be crying when I really got her.

She was so beautiful.

It almost killed me to look at her. The little scar right below her eyebrow that you didn't notice unless you were close that she got when we were little and she fell down the stairs at school. Her beautiful grey eyes. Just every single thing about her was perfect.

I didn't answer, I was just staring at her. She was so just beautiful…

"I got hot chocolate," she sat down beside me, handing me a hot mug.

"Thanks," I smiled, turning to where we were looking at each other, and I took a small sip of the hot chocolate.

"So, what's up?" Kate asked, taking a small sip of her own drink.

"Nothing, what do you mean?"

"You've been sitting here with your eyes shut and a painful look on your face for the last half hour."

"Oh," I looked down, blushing.

"Yeah, oh," she smiled.

"I, um, was… I was just thinking," I smiled weakly. I wanted to add, _about the night we kissed in Vegas that you don't remember where my love for you got even stronger._

"About what?" Kate brought her mug to her lips.

I froze.

"Oh, if you don't want to talk about it," Kate looked down, blushing, "you don't have to."

"It is nothing really," I lied.

Kate nodded, her eyes focused on her drink.

I decided to try to lighten the mood.

"So, what do you think is up with Charlie?" I asked with a small smile.

Kate was happy for the change of subject, and she smiled back with the adorable shrug I loved that she did.

"I don't know. I assume boy troubles," Kate smiled, teasing me.

"That felt great, thank you. Perfect moment for that."

"She's growing up. She's going to get a boyfriend," Kate smiled even wider, "And she will get married. And have kids!"

I put my hands over my ears, "Stop!"

I suddenly realized that we were almost having the same conversation as we did in my dream. Only we didn't have a kid swimming, our daughter wasn't playing with my sister, and we weren't going to kiss right now. It almost broke my heart, to be honest.

Kate laughed, and I even found myself laughing, too. But it was weak now…

And, when the laughing had died down, we smiled together.

Kate looked down, and she pushed her hair behind her ear.

"I feel guilty about that…"

My eyes shot up to her.

"About not knowing about Charlie. She knows everything about us. That has always been basically our little girl. And we don't know what she wants out of life," Kate was staring at her hot chocolate.

"It was easier that way…"

Kate looked up at me, her eyes watering.

"We are almost there."

There was a silence.

"We're standing by her, we're going to be there for her," I took Kate's hand and squeezed it. Kate nodded.

"Always."

_**Charlie**_,

We had plans to spend another night with Hypnos. We all wanted to put off California, and we had no intentions on rushing to see Aphrodite either. I had never truly really liked Aphrodite like most little girls did. Most everyone loved her, wanting to be beautiful and represent love and all that stuff when they grew up.

I guess it was because of my parent's stories. She was the villain in them. She was trying to keep them apart but giving them such a strong love. She was playing with them for her own entertainment. By the time I was four years old, I did not like the goddess.

And that was before I entered puberty, where she seems to play with you the most.

Now, with Aiden and Chester (not to mention the Kate and Noah thing going on), I was on the verge of hating the goddess. Then meeting little Weslin who never saw her mother when I knew that she still saw _Piper_ was the icing on the cake.

I had no problem with not going to see her. And I most certainly had no problem with getting in the car with everyone and having to sit there between Chester and Aiden.

If I thought about it long enough, I was almost transported back to the dream. I could feel the smile on my face as my children hugged him. I could feel the love I had for him as he kissed me hello. And I could feel his arms wrapped tight around me.

This was what I wanted, wasn't it?

To have a sign to just tell me.

But, now that I had one, I wished it away.

It wasn't that I didn't feel something for him, I did. It was that I didn't think it could be true like that. The more and more I thought of the logic of it (something I had not done before), I could not see how it could happen. I could see how we meshed together, but I could not see how it worked out.

I couldn't see how it would ever end up with the two of us getting married. Of settling down in the same place. Of buying a house. Of having two children who I picked up from school every day!

I couldn't imagine how the two of us would end up with that little slice of suburban dream, not us. I mean, with someone else, I guess I could. I had never seen him show any inclination to want to ever settle down or _get married_.

It was hard to picture us turning into my parents. Getting married. Having children. Changing diapers. Making lunch for school. Making pancakes on Saturday morning. Him holding me to keep me from crying when our child went to camp.

I knew it could be. We were so young, we couldn't show all of that just now. I knew that there was time before that could happen. That it would work out eventually. But it just didn't feel right at the same time.

I thought I could handle it, seeing everyone at breakfast. But I couldn't.

As soon as I could, I retired to bed. I missed lunch, and a servant brought me some. And I was not going to dinner.

Kate came to me after lunch. Though I wanted to, I did not tell her. I knew I would later, but I still didn't want to face it now. She left soon afterwards, and I tried to find things for myself to do. I read for a bit. I watched a movie. I talked to Emily-Rose.

But nothing was soothing me.

I was still trying to read, but my mind kept wondering. The words went through my mind but never seemed to actually register. It had taken me ten minutes to get through a page when I finally realized that it was not going to work. I put down the book, and I did the only thing I felt like I could do.

I slid into my bed, and I let myself think.

I analyzed everything about him. I thought about his personality, all of his faults and all of his strengths. I thought about his appearance to the man in my dream, double checking it. I compared myself with him for similarities, and I questioned even his conduct towards me to see if maybe he could be that person I saw in my dream one day.

I was in the middle of comparing his nose with the man in the dream when someone knocked on my door.

"Charlie?" it was Kate.

"Come in," I called out to her, wanting someone to take my mind off of everything.

She entered, and I saw from the glass windows behind her that it was now night.

"Dinner is in an hour," she smiled as she closed the door.

"I'm not going."

"I know," she sat on the edge of my bed.

I sat up to look at her, and our eyes were glued to each other.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shrugged, and she looked down.

"I was married to Noah."

"Does that shock you?"

She looked up at me, and she shook her head.

"We had a little girl, and she was so precious," she smiled, almost crying, "I just loved her right then. And we had a little boy who was just like Noah. He was so stubborn. And-And we were just so happy, the four of us. We were just so happy…"

Kate bit her lower lip.

"And he wants all that. I know he does, he has told me before. But I don't know who he wants it with. I haven't talked to this guy in years. Maybe there is a girl. Maybe there is a girl in his life that we don't know about that he loves and wants to marry, and maybe she will have his kids and that'll be their house and she'll be the one he kisses…" Kate looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown.

She was already crying, and I lunged to hug her.

"He loves you, Kate. I know you don't believe me, but he does. Anyone can see it," I whispered, and she shook her head.

"You see it like that because you want to. He loves me like a sister. And, if you want to see it as more, you do," she smiled.

I tried to tell her otherwise, but she was sticking to the same argument.

"None of us are talking about it, you know. Not our dreams. Only freakin' Chester has seemed slightly happy about his dream, and he has been napping all day," Kate let me go and rolled her eyes, which I noticed had cried, "After you left, Aiden disappeared into the library. I have no idea where my brother is. Or Swift. You're not the only one MIA."

I smiled at that.

"And I feel terrible," her eyes let out another tear, "I don't know what you want in life. You know everything about me. But I don't know everything about you. I was always so scared to get my hopes up because you might not live to do that stuff. But I want to know. I want to know what you want out of life."

She put her hand on mine, and I smiled weakly.

"Well, I don't know…" I smiled weakly, looking down, "I want to be a Marine Biologist. I think I want to live in New Athens. Life just seems… easier there I guess. I don't really think that New York is my place. I mean, I love it. I loved growing up there. But I think I want to have my kids grow up with a yard. A proper yard with a fence and a swing and all that."

Kate was smiling at me, and I found that I was smiling, too.

"Oh, and kids. I want kids. I don't want an only child to get lonely. And I don't want to have too many kids that I can't enjoy them. I think I want a little girl and a little boy…" I looked down, "I want to get married. I want to be in love, I want to spend the rest of my life with someone."

"Did you see who?"

My eyes shot up to Kate, and she took the look in my eyes as something bad.

"What?"

"I-I know him…" I was almost crying.

"Why are you so sad? It isn't like it is Kia."

Kia was Emily-Rose's "true love", and everyone knew about it, even Kate.

"No, it wasn't Kia," I smiled weakly.

"Well then, anything can be better from there. Who was it?"

"It wasn't a _bad guy_. It just… I can't picture _him_ packing lunches for school and picking up hot pink backpacks for the school year. I can't see the logic of how we would settle in the same place or have people so dangerous like us get married and have kids! I just can't see it, there is no logic!"

Kate smiled, almost laughing as she pushed my hair behind my ears.

"Honey, it is _love_. Not _logic_."

"Marriage requires both."

Kate shook her head.

"Look at your parents. There is no logic to show why on earth they are together today. There is no logic behind your mom leaving Henry and coming home to New York. There is no logic behind them falling in love and dating again. There was no logic behind your dad deciding to risk everything and have your mom move in when they had only been dating for, like, a month. There was no logic behind your dad proposing so soon either," she smiled, "And there was no logic behind them getting married after all they had been through and having a child."

Kate smiled even wider at me.

"It was love. It was a lack of love with Henry that made her leave him. It was love that made them date again. It was love that had your father ask her to move in and become such a big part in your brother's life so soon. It was love that had your father proposing, and it was love that made them get married and have you."

I watched her, letting her continue.

"We grandchildren of Athena, we trust logic. But logic is not the only thing in the world. You were born of love over logic, and yet you question it!" Kate laughed, "You can love this person, despite whatever it is that you think would stop you. Now, for the love of the gods, tell me who it is!"

I smiled at her a little, and I decided to stop telling her what was wrong with him and tell her who he was.

* * *

**No, you will not know.**

**I can assure you, when you do find out, you will love the way you do. It will be a while, but I promise it will be dramatic. Actually, I promise that you will love the ending of this. It will be dramatic, I promise you ;)**

**We do have a while away from that, and I am so sorry this took so long!**

**We are about to move, I am going to camp today (five days at Columbia College for a leadership thing), things just feel hectic and crazy, and I am so sorry that you guys have had to put up with it. I had this on my list of things to do, and I just forgot about it. I mean, I began working on the exact details of the ending (I like to get it all ironed out beforehand). **

**Actually, in this time, I have read ****Something Borrowed**** which I adored! I loved the movie, but I absolutely loved the book. It was truly amazing. I mean, I think you guys should check it out. I also found out about "Mad Father" in something I read. I googled it later and read about it, and it was freaking crazy!**

**I apologize if this chapter was rushed or even just a filler, but I wanted to show their reactions and have them relax before going to see Aphrodite because you know she will make it crazy. And I worked so hard today to get it done because I had only finished Kate's POV and wanted to get it out to you before I went to camp. **

**Alright, bye you guys! I love you, thank you for reading!**


	30. Chapter 30

_**Charlie,**_

There was a sense of liberation when I shared the secret weighing on me that was slowly worrying me to death. There was a moment where the burden seemed to lift off of my shoulders. I had a friend, my best friend, who I could trust with the secret.

And then that feeling disappeared.

It was there, and it slowly eroded as soon as the words left my mouth. It was slipping away from me just as the feeling of happiness for a decision being made for me had gone from me after the dream. The logic was behind it, I knew that I was somewhat free. It wasn't my secret and my secret alone.

But some things felt like they should stay to myself. Some things felt like they were supposed to be my casket and were supposed to swallow me whole. Because, at least when they were mine and mine alone, I could pretend I didn't feel it. I could lie to myself. The Jackson denial I had inherited could kick in.

Now I had a reminder.

I had Kate to look at and see the dream all over again. I had Kate to share the stolen glances with and know that she was thinking exactly what I was thinking. I had Kate to know the thing I kept so deeply hidden inside of me that I didn't even know it until now.

At least I had her though, I thought to myself, It is better than hiding away for the rest of my life.

By morning, I could no longer hide, and I was tired of it anyway. I pulled on a dress identical to the one I wore yesterday, and I was pulling my hair into a ponytail when I caught a glance of myself. I wasn't sure why, but I was shocked my reflection.

I knew what I looked like of course. But, sometimes, when Kate looked at me just as she had when I was a child, I kept expecting to see myself that way. I expected to wake up and be eight years old holding MeMo and screaming for my parents to come into my room and soothe me from a dream where I had been on a quest I probably wouldn't survive.

But it wasn't a dream. This was all real.

"Is that a good thing?" I wondered aloud.

I couldn't think about it too long before Kate was knocking on my door and asking if I was coming to breakfast. I followed after her downstairs, and I felt like a little kid hiding behind their mother on their first day of school as they looked around to the kids they would spend the next year with as I walked down with Kate.

And there they all were.

I could feel his eyes on me, silently pleading me to look at him.

I didn't.

I sat beside Kate, opposite of Noah, and I could tell he wanted to know what had been up with me yesterday. But I knew that he had his own dream, and I knew that he could tell that my dream was my problem, too. So, we stayed silent.

That was the thing about the two of us. We knew everything about each other, and we knew what battles to fight and what battles not to. We knew the other's ticks, addicted habits, and the history that had created who we were today. We knew each other enough to know that this was not the time to speak.

We would talk about the dreams one day.

That day was not today.

Everyone at the table seemed a bit distant. Aiden was holding a book from the library, and I knew that he would probably escape to it soon just as I had escaped to my room. Chester was holding an iPod, and I assumed that he would also go to it later. Sam and Swift had kicked their recent habit of bickering, but I knew it would be back soon. Noah was looking at me, and his eyes kept darting to Kate. And Kate was trying to be interested in her French Toast.

We were split. We weren't a group anymore. We were just people on a quest together.

I began to hope that we would get close again.

"Good morning," Hypnos was as energetic as I had ever seen him, though that wasn't saying much, "How did you all sleep?"

We all let out our answers, though they were just as energetic as his.

"I think we should set off today. Thank you so much for your hospitality, Hypnos, but we should probably continue with our quest," Noah announced, and I smiled at my brother.

I don't think I had ever been so happy at the prospect of leaving a warm and comfortable bed with safety.

"What a shame," Hypnos was actually frowning, "I rarely get visitors, and you were a wonderful bunch."

If he thought we were a wonderful bunch, he most certainly _did not_ get many visitors.

I glanced back at Kate, and her smile told me that she was thinking the exact same thing that I was.

"Thank you, we truly enjoyed our time here," Kate told Hypnos, and we all agreed.

And I couldn't help it.

My eyes drifted to him, taking in every inch of his face as I compared it to the face in my dream. The face of the man I would love forever, the man I truly loved beneath all of this confusion. I even compared it to the face of the children we produced in this dream. It was a perfect match…

I wasn't sure how I felt about it as I looked at him.

But I didn't have time to really think about it before Sam broke me of my thoughts, breaking the silent agreement between us all not to talk about yesterday.

"So, Charlie, where the Hades did you go?" he asked as he took a bite of bacon.

_At least he hasn't changed…_

"Bed," I shrugged, biting into a piece of toast, "I was tired."

_**Kate,**_

Hypnos didn't see us off in the typical way, I suppose.

Usually, we got into the Jeep, and there was this moment where our host let out a goodbye wave and we just kept driving into our next moment of the quest. It was symbolic. It reminded us of what was really going on here, of the mystery that was before us.

I actually liked that. I thought it was a good metaphor.

Hypnos didn't work our goodbye around a metaphor. He gathered us all together, and he smiled a goodbye before he snapped just as he had to take us to our life-changing dreams. The world turned to black for a second, and then we were almost blinded by the light of the real world welcoming us back.

We were in Waffle House again.

The time had still passed, there was a newspaper on the table with the current date. But no one was really noticing us. It was all as it had been before Hypnos snapped his fingers and made everything change.

We were all sitting in the same spots. I was still somewhat leaning on Noah. Charlie was still sitting uncomfortably between the two boys, and Sam and Swift were trying not to bicker.

It could have been that day when we suddenly just stopped the car and walked in to Waffle House to see Hypnos waiting for us. It very easily could have, and it would have been easier that way. It would have been much easier to just forget yesterday and pretend that we only knew this. It would have been easier to just lose that day from our life.

But things were never easy, and I wasn't even sure I ever wanted them to be.

The best things in life are hard.

Noah was hard to life with. I could just forget him, I could forget our life together. I could blot him out and try to forget what I felt for him.

But what I felt for him was the strongest thing I had ever felt and ever hoped to feel. I couldn't forget him. I couldn't forget our past. I couldn't blot him out, and I couldn't just throw away everything I felt for him. And I didn't want to.

Maybe that was what Hypnos needed to show me. That I didn't need to run away this time. That, even if we ended this exactly how we started, as friends and always friends, it was better than not being in his life at all. It was better than running away and regretting the choice when, at three am, I had to sneak onto my laptop and stalk him on Facebook just to know how he was doing.

We were all silent as we looked around to each other, the question looming in the air as we all wondered if we really had imagined everything that happened. But we hadn't. And we couldn't let ourselves obsess over it, we had more places to go, more things to face, and more drama to live through.

"Next up, Aphrodite," Sam stood.

Aphrodite.

Yes, this most certainly would involve drama.

As we all followed out to the cars to begin our next adventure with Aphrodite, I began to question what I felt for the goddess. Most girls loved her or at least worshiped her a bit more diligently. They focused on the romantic stories and sweet and innocent side that came to love.

I focused on the cruel, bittersweet moments where love proved itself to be dirty and vengeful. She already hated me, and I saw no reason to worship her more than the others. And I was reminded by many that I should learn to respect her more.

My parents had it easy.

They were friends in high school. They fell in love with each other their freshman year of college, and they made a deal to wait to get married until they were on their feet. The day my father and his siblings opened their architectural company, he proposed to my mom. They got married, and then they had a son. Then they had had me. It was ripped out of a little girl's imagination for what it would be like for when they fell in love.

Then there was Percy and Annabeth. They fell in love and went through years of denials, trials, and near death experiences together. They started dating, and he was kidnapped a few months later. He was found, and they fell into Tarturus together. Then, they made their way out of that to be together, and they had a break-up for a month. And a one night mistake got JoJo pregnant with Noah. Percy left Annabeth, never telling the truth. Then, she came back, and they got together when Noah was older. As if this was all not enough, right before their wedding, her ex showed up and demanded to have her back.

That was a love horror story.

I wasn't far enough along in mine to see how the goddess would treat me later, but she had given me Hades up until now. What would make her stop?

I was trying not to think about my own woes with Aphrodite, and I turned on my side to look at Noah as we got into the car.

"Will you be alright seeing Aphrodite after the whole Weslin thing?" I asked.

I could tell that Noah was still heartbroken after meeting little Weslin, especially after he had been in the same situation before. Honestly, he still was. His mom wasn't there to help him move into his first apartment. His mom missed his last birthday party, though I did as well for the first time since I was about four years old. She spent this Thanksgiving in California with her organic feast while Noah ate blue pumpkin pie in New York. She was still out of his life.

"I can see her fine. It is trying to stay on her good side that I don't know if I can do," Noah told me, and I realized that he almost put his arm around me. He quickly stopped, and I wished he hadn't.

But I pretended not to notice.

I was doing that a lot, pretending. I was pretending I didn't love him. I was pretending we were just friends. I was pretending that I didn't know why I had left so long ago. I was pretending that everything would be okay with us. I was pretending that it didn't kill me whenever I saw him with another girl.

But I didn't have to pretend much on his ride. The only sound in the car from that moment on was a slight hum of the engine and a soft sound of the radio. We didn't speak. We just kept driving.

_**Noah,**_

During the car ride, no one spoke. We didn't try for small talk. We didn't occasionally say things or even try to break the silence. We just let ourselves get lost in the deafening quiet. We let our thoughts take over, and we could tell that everyone else was doing the same as we were.

I liked that about us as a group.

We didn't all stop and try to have a heart to heart to work through our problems. We didn't take this as a chance to get closer and really get our problems out. We weren't aiming to talk about our feelings and get everything worked out.

No, we were going to sulk. We were going to think. And we were going to be perfectly happy doing it.

Maybe it wasn't the healthiest thing in the world, but it was better. It worked for us. It didn't stir up things that needed to be at rest. It didn't make us mad at each other or make us sob for the rest of the drive. It just let us sit there in silence.

We were getting close to the romantic getaway home of Aphrodite in St. Barbara. Our time was running short in the car, and I wasn't sure which was better. The awkward and silent time in this car sucked, but I didn't want to see Aphrodite either. After meeting little Weslin, I knew it would kill me to sit there between her and the guy she ditched her daughter for.

I knew how it felt to have your mom promise to come but ditch you for something else.

When I was younger, I blamed her boyfriends. Of course, she changed them so much that I just called them the same thing, "Mom's boyfriend" instead of taking the time to remember their name. Sometimes, they were nice. Sometimes, they weren't. They looked different, acted different, and even spoke differently. But they were all the "in-style" guy at that time. They were what was popular. My mom was obsessed with trends even to her boyfriends. It wasn't until my dad started dating Annabeth that I realized that you didn't have to forget your kid for a boyfriend and what a mom could really be like.

Afterwards, JoJo couldn't keep up compared to Annabeth. Annabeth was married to my dad, living in the same house, and giving me a sibling. She let me help pick out the wedding dress. She helped me with homework and made sure that I got a bath at night, no matter how much I begged not to. Annabeth became my real mom. And my biological mother didn't or maybe couldn't do all those things. She just didn't have the mom intuition. She cared too much about herself and holding on to her early twenties. Because it was clear that Annabeth was beating her in the mother-department, JoJo spent less time with me because she knew she couldn't be like that.

After that, she moved to LA. She got remarried to a man that was perfect for her. I didn't personally like him, but I didn't hate him. When I was younger though, I would have hated him more than anything for stealing my mom, marrying her, and keeping her LA when she should have been with me. Now though, I realize that she had a choice to leave and she chose to.

Aphrodite chose to leave Weslin.

And one day Weslin would realize it, and it would break her heart…

My dislike for the goddess was growing as we began to reach the private residence of Aphrodite.

There was a large gate made of platinum with an A written in big pink cursive in the middle. There was an intercom by the gate, and it was the same shade of pink. Perfect roses lined the driveway where large oak trees maintained privacy.

As Sam pulled the car to a stop by the intercom, he looked to us all.

"What do I say?" he asked, and I shrugged.

He looked back to the machine nervously, pressing the button.

"Hello?"

It was not Aphrodite's voice.

"Who are you?" the woman's voice asked though the call.

"I am Sam Moore. We were sent here by-" Sam tried, but he was cut off.

"No, I am sorry. No one is allowed here. We are on hiatus. No visitors," she stopped him, and she was about to start on about how he needed to get in, how we had been sent by Hermes and Azul, and how we had the painting.

But then we saw a pink figure was walking towards the gate.

She was morphing. She was changing. She was becoming what I thought was the perfect example of beauty.

Her hair was long and a highlighted brown. It was curled naturally and went down her back, gently flowing behind her in the wind. Her eyes were a stormy and intelligent grey. Her face was warm and happy, but it was still mysterious and seductive. She was long and lean, and she was wearing a flowy pink Grecian gown.

I stared as I realized that my version of Aphrodite was becoming more and more like Kate.

Her smile widened, and she motioned for the gate to be opened, which it did quickly. She stood in the middle of the driveway, and it twisted and winded with perfect scenery behind her. It was a perfect sight. The perfect woman with the perfect backdrop.

Her pearly white teeth were shown as she let out a very big smile.

"I am here with my love," she smiled, beaming. She began to walk to us, and I noticed that she was wearing four inch heels that she walked with ease in. As she passed everything, that little place seemed to get more beautiful, "I would love to see you all, but I am rather tied up…" she looked back to the winding driveway with a smile.

"Azul sent your painting."

Aphrodite's eyes moved back to us, and she seemed to consider it for a moment.

Then her smile widened, her tone softened, and she turned her body completely towards us.

"Welcome to my home," she smiled, and a snap of her fingers brought up a light blue convertible that she hopped into. Her outfit changed as soon as she got into the car to match the blue surroundings, and she waved at us, "Follow me, Loves!"

And then she fired up the convertible and was speeding through the dangerously twisty driveway.

"Are we supposed to go that fast, too?" I looked to Kate, and I was shocked again to remember how Aphrodite had looked so much like Kate to me. I guess I knew it, but it was still a bit scary. Kate was my definition of beauty. Could I ever get over her?

Kate shrugged, and Sam smiled as she turned up the speed and went full blast after her.

_**Forever to update, I know. I was at camp. Then at the family reunion. Then my new Sims Expansion game out. My annoying grandmother is here to visit. And we are moving houses. So, I was a bit busy.**_

_**This was kind of a filler chapter, but it is better than no chapter, right?**_


	31. Chapter 31

_**Kate,**_

We sped after the goddess of beauty, Aiden and Swift following close behind us. As I held onto Noah as Sam recklessly drove at the top speed that his Jeep could go, I was suddenly reminded of when I was fourteen, sitting in the backseat with Noah as my dad tried to teach Sam how to drive. My dad was acting as if it was all business as usual, Sam was driving like a maniac, and I was holding onto Noah for dear life.

That was before I realized how much I liked him, and I had just been holding onto him because of how completely scared we were of Sam's driving.

I was reminded of how much had changed in five years by that. I loved Noah. I was blushing, and I was hiding my face in Noah's shirt to keep from seeing Charlie's looks directed at me instead of seeing Sam's horrible driving. And there was a new victim who had to feel the rocky driving of Sam, Chester.

Nothing was the same as it had been years ago, and it never would be. Part of me wanted to go back. Things were so much easier back then. I didn't know I was in love with Noah. Things weren't awkward between the two of us. We were just friends. No, we were best friends. I was closer to him than I was my own brother. I saw him as a second brother, and Charlie was just our little baby.

Now, Charlie was all grown up and prepared to take on a mission that was supposed to bring on her death. I was now not very close to my brother or Noah, and I never saw them. Noah and I were friends, but we didn't share everything as we once had. There were now boundaries. And there were boundaries because I realized I loved him.

I was remembering our younger days when things were so much simpler when the Jeep finally came to a halt. Had we not been in seatbelts, we easily would have been thrown. My nails dug into Noah's shirt as the sudden stop scared me, and I realized that I had to let go of him. But I didn't want to.

I glanced up at Noah. At perfect, handsome Noah.

"I think Sam was trying to kill us again," he whispered softly, and I laughed as I forced myself to pull away. Sam was jumping out of the driver's seat, and Chester was working his way out while Charlie was hesitant like me.

I opened the car door, and I took a step onto the driveway.

I was almost attacked by perfection. The green grass was perfectly green and lush. The flowers were all perfect and at full bloom. Cherry trees let their pink blossoms fall in only the perfect way. Trees had lush leaves, the perfectly strong truck, and there were the pristine little nests set up for the birds that filled the air with a beautiful song.

Everything around me was perfect. The beautiful, pink-tinted mansion. The amazing grounds. The temperature. The amount of humidity. The smells. Even the sounds around you. It was all perfect.

It was like what every girly girl wanted as a child. An amazing, pink mansion by the water. Unlimited money. The perfect house with the perfect grounds. A lover waiting inside. And to be the most beautiful woman in the entire world.

Honestly, all of it still sounded pretty perfect to me.

And then even perfection was added to the perfect little secluded mansion in California. Aphrodite stepped out of her powder blue convertible, her hair flowing in the wind and her sexy smile coming out to play as she stood. As she walked to us, her outfit slowly started reforming back into the flowing pink gown and four inch heels that she had been wearing when we got here.

"Oh, Kate!" Aphrodite suddenly lashed out and pulled me close into a hug.

"Aphrodite, it is wonderful to see you again," I managed, forcing myself to hug her back.

She pulled away, still smiling.

"We must talk later," she squeezed my hand like we had been best friends my entire life. She then turned to Charlie.

Charlie looked afraid. It had not been her first time standing in front of the perfect goddess, but it was the first time that she had felt the cruel grip of Aphrodite's "sweet" little love that she adored so much. Charlie had seen the parts that they always leave out in the princess movies before the princess gets her prince.

Now, Charlie knew what we all had been talking about and what all of those Romantic Comedies had been wailing about.

"Charlotte," Aphrodite hugged Charlie close, "I am so excited to see you!"

Charlie gave her a half-hearted hug, and Aphrodite's smile turned sexy as she hugged Sam. She whispered something I couldn't hear in his ear, and then she said hello to Chester, though her warm and friendly attitude was not shown to him. And then came the moment I really didn't want to see.

"Noah!" she opened her arms wide, and her smile was the biggest. Her eyes were the friendliest. And her beauty seemed to triple, "You look so wonderful!"

Even the goddess of beauty was attracted to Noah. Everyone was. He was handsome, sweet, friendly, funny, caring, and an amazing brother. There was nothing not to love…

"Hello, Aphrodite," Noah was still warm and cordial, but I could tell that something was up. And she saw it, too.

She seemed to smile about whatever it was though, so I assumed that I wouldn't like it whatever it was.

Swift was jumping out of her car with Aiden following right after her. I could suddenly both see the Roman blood in both of them. She didn't look mesmerized by the perfect and pristine surroundings. I think she was more mad at Sam speeding like a maniac when he was supposed to be showing her the way to follow.

"Swift," Aphrodite smiled, and Swift made her look at Aphrodite very clear that she was not going to hug. So Aphrodite looked to Aiden, and her smile was big and beautiful as she looked to him.

"My Lady," Aiden looked like he was about to bow when Aphrodite stopped him.

"Oh, Love, we don't bow here! We hug!" she hugged him tightly, and Aiden seemed shocked by the sudden hug before he finally did begin to hug her back, "You are so handsome! My, have you grown! You know," she looked back to all of us, "He is the grandson of Venus. He is almost like my grandson! And you are a wonderful grandson to have!"

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he was blushing a bit as she looked around to everyone.

"How would you all like some tea?" she was scanning our faces when she noticed the painting in the back of the Jeep.

Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened.

"Is that my gorgeous painting?" she looked to us all, and her eyes stopped on Sam, "Samuel, please, open the car so that I can see it."

Sam unlocked the car and went to the back to let her see her portrait.

She smiled wide and clapped happily before snapping. Suddenly, a team of pristine servants in pink attire rushed out of the building and hurriedly came to the car. They lifted the portrait together, taking as much care of it as if it was the goddess herself. As they began back to the mansion, she motioned for us to follow.

She went in front of the servants, and she rushed through the mansion with everyone else struggling to keep up with her. There were so many things to see as we passed through. Everything was perfect. Everything was beautiful. Nothing had a flaw anywhere to be seen. There seemed to be a million doors, a million windows showing perfect views, a million beautiful pieces of art, and a million architectural marvels.

It was starting to give me a headache, and I ran into Charlie as we all suddenly stopped as Aphrodite halted and smiled like a little kid at Christmas as she opened up French doors to a pastel pink room that was simple with simple furnishings. There was no art on the walls. Just some fine china and beautiful vases.

She walked to a wall facing the door, and she tapped on it.

"This is it. This is where it should go…" she smiled, and she moved back for her servants to hurriedly begin their work of putting it up on the wall. They did it fast, but they seemed to understand the drama of the situation. So they slowly backed away, building anticipation.

As they stepped away, the painting was so beautiful. It was of the form she had been in when Aphrodite met Azul and gave birth to their immortal daughter, Weslin. She looked like Weslin. I had thought that Weslin looked like Azul, but I was wrong. She was mini-Aphrodite.

I wondered if that killed Azul. He still loved his ex, but she was gone and with some new lover. And he was at home with their child who she never saw and who was the spitting image of her mother.

"It is so beautiful. I always wanted it here," Aphrodite put her hand on her heart as if she was seeing a child return home. I wondered if she would show the same reaction if we had showed up with Weslin instead of the painting.

Aphrodite turned to us, and I noticed that she was still morphing. I never liked that about seeing Aphrodite. Her eyes were going from blue to green. Her hair was going from black to blonde. Her lips were changing, her face was changing. It never stayed the same for long.

"I have so much to thank you all for!" she was glowing as she suddenly lunged out and hugged Sam and Noah tightly, "You all are welcome any time!"

She pulled away from the two of them, looking to her servants.

"My, it is almost time for dinner! Show them to their rooms so that they can get ready. And…." Aphrodite thought about it, and she suddenly clapped happily, "Make-overs! You must get make-overs! This is going to be so much fun!"

_**Noah,**_

"What are you doing!" I demanded, and I let out a loud hiss as they pulled off the wax paper from my leg, pulling about a year worth of hair with it. Just about my entire body had been waxed. My chest was red from it, my arms were hairless, and my armpits were sore from the pain of the waxing.

When the Aphrodite's servants first showed up, I knew I couldn't get out of the make-over, though I wanted to. So, I sat down like a good boy, and I let them wash my hair, cut it, and apply hair products without complaining. And then they got out the wax.

I never thought that two pretty boy servants in pink outfits would be able to take me, and I would never admit that it happened again. But it did, and I was being held down by a guy with lipstick and hair gel. I winced at the thought, and I was silently swearing to myself to never speak of it again.

They let me go, and I was thrown a bottle of lotion to relax the burning from the waxing. I kept feeling somewhat naked now that I was mostly hairless, and I let them dress me. When they approached me with the make-up though, I could not be as good, and I let out a growl that made them back off.

"Dinner is downstairs," one of the servants told me before they both hurried out, and I looked at myself in the mirror.

I had to admit that I looked pretty good, though that was no excuse for the pain and suffering I went through to become less hairy so I didn't look like a "caveman" anymore.

I straightened my suit jacket, and I started down the stairs, trying not to look at myself in the mirror to be reminded of the burning of my body. But there were so many mirrors.

Aphrodite wanted to see her flawless perfection. She wanted to see her spotless and perfectly designed home. Aphrodite wanted to see the wonderful lover that she was wrapped up in at the time, and she wanted to see her power around her. The power that had kept her able to go on the way she did without any consequences.

I mean, here we were. She skipped out on her daughter's birthday as much as her _life_. Her ex decided he was going to show her a lesson and make her leave her new boy toy to come and see her daughter like she should have in the first place. He had a firm stance, and she would have to choose between that perfect painting and the perfect new boyfriend.

And the goddess got her way.

Like she always did.

As I looked past pictures of Aphrodite with a few of her then-boyfriends, I realized that they must have worked their way down the line of importance from the time of the initial relationship. I wondered how many of them she had left crushed. I wondered how many she left with children that she would also ignore.

I was growing to hate the goddess of love as I walked through her mansion.

The pristine beauty felt too forced. The gorgeous views felt too sheltered. The inhabitants too shallow. And the reason for this secret vacation home too deceitful.

It was growing intensely as I stepped into the dining room and saw the newest boyfriend of Aphrodite sitting with her toasting a glass of Champaign as she waited to greet her guests and be a good hostess. But she was too busy with him to even notice I walked in.

"You're staring, Noah," I felt the familiar hot breath on my neck, and I found myself smiling.

"She's the goddess of beauty. I'm supposed to stare, right, Kate?" I smirked, taking in the scent of her cinnamon toothpaste and the warmth of being close to her, and I looked back to Kate.

My jaw almost dropped as I took a look at her.

Kate was always beautiful. She had been since the day she was born. As she got older, she got prettier and prettier. Every time I saw Kate, she seemed to have become even more beautiful. Kate was my Aphrodite, changing all the time to become more gorgeous.

And, right now, she was prettier than I was pretty sure I'd ever seen her.

Kate had her hair down in the curls that girls tried to master all over the world, dreaming about that perfect sweet and sexy look that they dreamed about. They had brought more attention to her stormy grey eyes, and her thick lips were colored ruby red. Her dress showed off her perfect body, and her smile was so beautiful…

I couldn't stop staring, and I was worried that my mouth was open as I gawked at Kate. I was embarrassed by doing it, but I simply couldn't stop.

Kate's face fell, and she looked down to her dress and body as if questioning every bit of it. Then she looked up to me, her eyes a little worried.

"W-What? What is it? Is there lipstick in my teeth?" she opened her mouth a bit where I could see her teeth.

I blushed a bit, looking down, and I shook my head.

"No, no, there's nothing wrong. Nothing at all…" I looked back to her, my eyes once more getting lost in the stormy grey that I loved to very much, "You look great."

Kate's smile widened, and her eyes seemed to light up a bit before she blushed.

"She made me wear a _dress_," someone mumbled angrily, and I had to pry my eyes off of Kate to see who the voice belonged to.

It was Swift.

Or, at least, I thought it was.

It was so shocking to see her like this that I questioned whether it even was Swift.

Her long, black curls were tied up into an up-do, and she was actually wearing _make-up_. She was wearing sparkly eye shadow, black eyeliner, and even _blush_. You could see two of her tattoos, but the strength of them seemed gentler. The wings on her neck seemed to almost be sweet, and the Roman tattoo didn't seem to jump right at you. She was wearing a simple but elegant black gown. She was still intense and strong, but she seemed… just gentler. And definitely _girlier_.

"What?" Swift looked to both of us, her arms crossed, and the intimidating glare re-entered her eyes.

_And she's back…_

"Nothing," I shrugged, and she continued to hold her arms crossed, not trusting what I said.

Sam joined us not long afterwards, and his eyes widened. He stopped, gawking at Swift like we used to stare at the hot librarian we had a crush on in middle school. As his jaw dropped, Kate held her hand to her mouth not to snicker, and I nudged her.

Swift spun around, looking at him.

"What are you _staring at_?" her irritability was at an all-time high due to wearing a dress _and _make-up, and Sam was the one who was about to pay the price for Aphrodite's choice to give us all make-overs.

Sam quickly tried to recover, but his suave confidence was fading. His tricks were failing. And it seemed to be the end of an era of Sam's success to get anything and anyone he wanted whenever he wanted them. Sam had met his match. He had found the girl that our family had prayed for, the one who he had to work for but still wanted.

San was struggling for words, and I was looking forward to hearing what would come out. But I didn't get to hear it as Chester saved Sam by walking through the door.

Not much had changed with Chester. His hair was still styled, and he wasn't wearing any make-up that I could tell. The only thing that seemed different was the fact that he was wearing a suit instead of his typical band shirt, and I wasn't even sure that he wasn't wearing his Greenday tee shirt underneath.

"What'd I miss?" Chester didn't seem to care about Sam and Swift. He just walked right past them and walked towards us.

"Nothing," Kate shrugged for me, and I continued to keep my eye on Sam and Swift until Aiden came in.

Nothing was different about Aiden. He was still soft but intense. Intimidating but kind. And attractive but not in a pretty boy kind of way. He was just cleaned up. His hair had been trimmed, and he was wearing a suit. But Aiden was Aiden. He didn't need the make-up or shaping up.

Chester and Aiden seemed to glare at each other for a bit as Aiden went over to stand by Swift.

"Is somebody wearing make-up?" Aiden smirked, teasing his older sister, and she turned to him. Swift gave Aiden the same intimidating glare, but it didn't seem to bother him like it bothered us. I guess he was just used to it.

Swift leaned closer to her brother, sniffing him. She looked up with a wide smile, prepared to tease.

"Is someone wearing cologne?" Swift raised her eyebrows, and Aiden blushed a bright red.

Aiden opened his mouth, and I could tell there would be more teasing. But it was cut short by Aphrodite's happy voice.

"Oh my! Charlie, you look so grown up!"

Hearing my little sister being called grown up made my head whip around to see her.

And that she was.

Charlie looked grown up. Her blonde curls were tied up in an up-do behind her head, showing emerald earrings that somewhat matched the green of her eyes that she inherited from our father. She was wearing a grey and sparkly gown, and she was even wearing make-up.

And, even worse, I was watching as Aiden checked my sister out.

Kate gripped onto my arm, silently telling me to calm down.

"Let's sit!" Aphrodite announced happily.

_**Charlie,**_

Dinner was awkward in the Californian mansion of Aphrodite.

For one thing, it was like sitting in the twilight zone served with Crème Brûlée. Swift was wearing a dress _and _make-up. Kate and Noah weren't awkwardly ignoring each other, they were completely open with one another. Sam wasn't completely suave, having the girl of his desires begging for him. Our hostess wasn't hitting on Aiden. And I was wearing a gown…

Then Aphrodite tried to have the most uncomfortable seating arrangements she could manage. I was between Aiden and Chester. Sam and Swift were sitting near each other with Sam gawking at Swift. Noah was stuck near Aphrodite and her new boy toy, being sickeningly sweet and affectionate. And Kate was stuck in the situation of trying to calm her down without bringing everyone's attention.

Then there was that look in Aphrodite's ever-morphing eyes. It was all knowing, almost smirking that her spell had captured me after all. She was so proud of her victory of my heart messing up my brain. And she knew who I had seen in my dream.

I could see it. Every time she glanced at me, she was reminding me.

I began to become thankful for whenever she looked back to her boyfriend and started being cute again, which I never thought I would say.

And then there was the worst part of dinner.

"You all went to visit Hypnos, didn't you? I heard you all had some very… _telling_ dreams," Aphrodite smiled, and the entire table blushed, and she looked to all of us.

Her eyes stayed glued on me for a moment longer than everyone else as her smile widened, "I would _love _to talk about it some time," she told us.

I immediately knew I was _not_ going to the talking and drinks after dinner.

When Aphrodite was strolling towards the parlor and announcing that there would be Champaign for the elder people and that an arrangement could be made for the three younger people, I quickly jumped at the third option for us to go on to bed. I faked being tired, and I went up towards my room. I went fast, trying to go before Aphrodite could have someone stop me so we would have to talk about me the state of my love-life.

As soon as I got back to my room, I had servants waiting on me to help me take off the outfit properly. And they made the painful time to get ready for dinner seem delicate. As soon as most of their work on me was erased, they were gone, and I was still standing in front of the large, pink mirror.

I wasn't really sure what to do with myself. I didn't want to go back down to Aphrodite. I couldn't sleep. And I didn't see many other options to occupy my time.

So, I pulled on a pair of shoes, and I began to ramble aimlessly through the beautiful mansion. There was perfection everywhere you looked. Everything was spotless and shiny. It all fit together perfectly. And it even smelled just right with the gentle scent of strawberries in the air.

There was nothing to critique. Nothing to complain about. Nothing to question.

Everything was perfect.

And, by being so perfect, it felt so wrong.

I finally couldn't take the perfection. I wanted flaws. I wanted problems. I wanted something I could say was wrong. I wanted to go back to the real world.

I found two sweeping, pink doors, and I opened them, letting in the breeze.

_Even the night breeze was perfect…._

I walked out onto the rooftop garden, taking in the wild scent of so many different plants. Yes, they meshed together perfectly, but they were still stronger than I'm sure Aphrodite had wanted. And I liked it that way.

I took a deep breath of the air, closing my eyes to take in the sound of the breeze.

And then a new sound filled the air.

It was so perfect…

The gentle strum of a guitar overpowered the sound of the ocean far off, and it was so much better. I couldn't help it. The music seemed to fill me, and it wasn't the first time…

I knew that sound. I remembered it.

I could suddenly remember the night where he tried to teach it to me. I remembered the wrong strums, the wrong finger placement, and the laughs we shared that had produced something very different from the song we were aiming for.

It hadn't been long ago, but it felt like an eternity…

I took a step around the corner, and there he was.

Aiden Cinna.

He looked just like the hot guy I had seen that night through the crack of his door, holding an acoustic guitar and wearing a crisp suit. His hair was the same, his eyes were the same, and his tattoos were the same. But Aiden was much more than that now.

The tattoo on his neck had meaning, it made him fly and even saved my life once. Beyond the appearance of simple friendliness was the look that only a roman soldier could have. He had a sister. He was protective. He was a nice guy. He was funny when he wanted to be and serious when he didn't.

And he was my friend…

"Hey," I said softly, and his eyes shot up from the guitar, his fingers freezing.

His smile spread, "Hey, Charlie."

I sat down on the ground beside him, smiling.

"So, what are you doing up here?"

Aiden shrugged, looking at the guitar.

"Needed air. Found a guitar," Aiden shrugged, "You?"

"Wanted to hide from Aphrodite honestly," I admitted, "I'm afraid she'll bring up the…" I stopped as I realized I was about to bring up the dream.

But Aiden already knew what I was about to say.

He didn't seem very happy about it as he looked back to the stars, and I looked down, silently cursing at myself for ruining what was a perfectly fine moment.

"You didn't like yours?" I finally asked, looking up at Aiden, and he looked down at me, thinking it over.

"It was just a dream…" he finally answered with a small shrug, looking back to the stars.

I looked back to the guitar, longing for when things were easier and he was just trying to teach me how to play the guitar.

"I remember you tried to teach me," I pointed at the guitar, trying to change the subject, "I was horrible."

Aiden seemed grateful for the change, and he laughed a bit.

"You weren't _horrible_. Not _good_. Not _horrible_," Aiden laughed, and I nudged him.

"Shut up."

"You brought it up," he teased.

"Well, you weren't exactly _great_ at driving," I laughed, remembering closing my eyes tight and holding onto my seatbelt as he sped through Charleston.

"You are right. I am _amazing,_" Aiden flashed a happy smile.

"Sure, amazing is _exactly_ what I was about to say," I patted Aiden's arm teasingly.

"That also makes me a mind reader," Aiden smirked. I hadn't seen him in such a good mood in a long time, and I didn't want it to end.

"That I'm sure you are," I laughed.

"You're suddenly in a good mood," he nudged me, and I looked back to him.

"What do you mean?" I laughed, "You've been the one in the bad mood."

"No, you've been so sad," Aiden shrugged, his teasing mood beginning to fade, "Or maybe you've just been mad at me. You haven't really spoken to me in days."

"I haven't been mad at you," I shook my head, "I've just been… a bit screwed up," I admitted.

He nodded with a small smile, "Who isn't?"

I smiled wider.

"Thanks for coming on all of this," I smiled, "I know we kind of ripped you away from your vacation with your dad."

"Oh, it was getting awkward with him coming home with girls just about every night. No problem with you taking away," Aiden laughed, and I smiled.

"So, what were you doing there? I mean, why did you guys both decide to go on a vacation together?" I asked, looking at Aiden.

"Well, um, I'm closer to my dad than most demigods are to their godly parents. I guess, because I am high up in the Roman military, he took more notice of me. And, well, with me and Swift. Really, it was because of her, I think. Apollo really loved her mother. She was the daughter of a politician who fell for Apollo, got pregnant with his baby, and was sent abroad to conceal the pregnancy and have the kid. Since Swift was an orphan and the daughter of the woman he loved, he just took care of her. When I came in the picture, he decided to be there for me, too," Aiden shrugged, smiling weakly.

"I didn't know that Swift was an orphan," I managed.

"She was supposed to be adopted," Aiden shrugged, ruffling his hair, "But monsters found her blood and showed up. Her mother was already sent back to DC, and Swift went to an orphanage for a little while before Lupa found her."

I began to think back to Swift's cold exterior.

I couldn't imagine what I would be without my family. I didn't know who I'd be if my dad hadn't been there to rock me to sleep after every nightmare. Or if my mom hadn't been there to help me with homework and school drama. Or if Grandma hadn't been there to pile me up with new dresses and to teasingly say that I could move in with her as soon as I got tired of Noah. Or if Noah hadn't always been there to protect me, even if I didn't want it.

"I was always really her only family," Aiden continued, "She didn't want anyone else. Well, except for my grandfather. She loves him, too. Everyone does. He adopted her when she was sixteen, though she had been living with us before that. Swift was a bit closed off to him adopting her, but she let him eventually."

"Your grandfather?" I asked, "You live with your grandfather?"

Aiden stopped, looking up at me as he realized his mistake.

Aiden had never told me anything about his family. He always dodged my questions, changing the subject. I had never really pushed it. I just thought that he would tell me when he wanted to. And, before now, he had never wanted to.

"I have since I was nine months old," Aiden shrugged, not really looking at me now, "My mom was an actress, a pretty good one, too. When she was sixteen, they all moved to Hollywood for her career. When she was nineteen, she got the perfect offer that would skyrocket her fame. And, the day before she was about to take it, she got a positive pregnancy test. She turned it down, moved back in with her dad, and she decided that she would work on her career later. I was born, and everything was okay. My mom started working again when I was about eight months old, and she seemed pretty devoted to me. Then, when I was nine months old, she got a movie deal. She packed her bags, kissed us goodbye, and just left. I haven't seen her since I was four, when my grandfather got custody of me and moved us to New Rome. She didn't try to make any contact after…"

Aiden's voice trailed off, realizing how much he had said.

I was shocked, looking at him.

I wasn't sure what was shocking me more. All of the information needing to be processed at one time. Or the fact that he actually told me all of it.

Aiden didn't really tell anyone anything. Ever…

And now he just told me everything.

"You never told me," I managed, looking at him, and his eyes looked back to me.

"I did now…." he ran his fingers through his hair, "Sorry for just telling you all that…"

I couldn't tell if he was blushing or not.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm just… I'm shocked you wanted to tell me, I guess," I shrugged.

He looked up at me again.

"You're my friend," he smiled softly, a bit nervously.

And I smiled.

"You, too," I nudged him.

_**I was going to actually make this all one chapter, but it would be really long and take longer to update. I am so sorry it took so long. I really don't know why it did so much. I would work on it for a while, stop, come back, and it just took a long time.**_


	32. California Love

**A couple will get together in this chapter….**

_**Noah,**_

If I thought dinner was awkward, the Champaign after was even worse. We were all escorted into the powder pink parlor. Everything was perfect and pink. The walls were pink, and the furniture was a lighter pink. On the tables, there were chocolate strawberries, little candies, and pink-tinted treats.

There were once enough seats for us all to be comfortably apart, but Aphrodite snapped her fingers and changed that. There were then only three love seats all facing each other. Aphrodite and her handsome lover took one, and Kate was digging her nails into my arm to keep me from going crazy on Aphrodite. So, Kate sat by me, leaving Swift and Sam to awkwardly sit together.

It was no longer just Sam being awkward and Swift rolling her eyes and walking away. They were both awkward, trying to make as much space as possible on the small loveseat. As soon as it was offered, they quickly accepted the Champaign and let the alcohol try to ease the situation.

"I want you to meet my boyfriend properly," Aphrodite smiled, leaning on the man as she took one of the flutes of Champaign being passed around.

He smiled, kissing the top of her head, and she beamed as she looked around to us all.

I felt like I was going to throw up, and Kate looked like she was pretty upset as well. She took a bite of a chocolate strawberry, keeping her mouth busy so that she wouldn't say anything to her.

"This is Andrew," Aphrodite giggled, running her fingers through his sandy blonde hair. She kept looking into his chocolate brown eyes, intoxicated by the giddy new love she felt for her newest boy toy. She leaned her head back on her shoulder, her hand resting on his chest as she held him close to her, "We met three months ago! It was love at first sight."

Andrew smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head, and they both smiled at each other like the little dream couple you saw in a Nicholas Sparks movie.

"I am so lucky," Andrew smiled, and he turned to all of us, somewhat proud of his beautiful and fabulous conquest of the goddess of beauty. I could almost see the inflation of his head that had been growing since she fell for him.

I couldn't stop thinking of little Weslin and how much she wished she could have half of the attention that Aphrodite gave whatever boyfriend she had this month.

"Three months?" I asked, "I wouldn't have thought. I would have guessed it was longer. You two seem so happy. Have you guys met each other's family?" the words were spilling out of my mouth, and I couldn't stop, "I think Weslin would love Andrew."

Aphrodite's eyes flew back to me, and the sweet love in her eyes had turned dangerous.

"Weslin? Who is Weslin, Love?" Andrew looked to Aphrodite, and her eyes remained on me. The intensity was growing, though I wasn't sure it was really anger as much as shock at what I had said.

Aphrodite looked back to Andrew, her anger easing.

"My daughter. She lives with my ex in Utah. I didn't mention her because I don't like to enter people into her life unless I know it is serious," Aphrodite admitted.

"But we are serious, Darling," he held onto her hand, squeezing it, "I would love to meet Weslin. I'm sure she is just as perfect as you…" he kissed the top of her head.

Aphrodite smiled at him and kissed him gently before looking back to me, watching me a bit closer.

I suddenly felt Kate's nails digging into me again, and I could feel her grey eyes on me, reminding me of my place and of how dangerous it was to get on the bad side of a god. But my anger was building. My disgust was mounting. It was threatening to explode, and only the harsh feeling of Kate's sharp, newly painted nails was keeping the impending explosion from happening.

Aphrodite's eyes were moving to Swift and Sam, smiling and preparing to torture them.

"You know, I remember when you all were just children!" she laughed, looking to me and Sam, "You are all grown up now! All of you so very handsome. And beautiful," she looked back to Kate apologetically.

Kate's grip on my arm lessened a bit.

"So, Theodora, how did you get mixed up in all of this?" Aphrodite took a sip of Champaign.

"Swift," Swift corrected, and she didn't seem too concerned with the idea of angering the love goddess. I wished I could be thinking like her and not worrying so much.

"I'm sorry. I keep thinking back to your mother. Apollo truly loved her…" Aphrodite shook her head.

Swift's jaw tightened at the mention of her mother, and I saw the most shocking thing of the night.

Sam's hand lunged for her arm, squeezing tightly in support. He didn't blush. He didn't seem to be embarrassed and didn't even look at his hand on her arm.

She didn't either. She didn't blush or get angry. She didn't roll her eyes at him, pulling away and making a scene of grabbing another drink. She didn't acknowledge it, but she did soften. She calmed. Swift had been tamed by Sam…

My eyes flew back to Sam, silently giving him a high five, and he managed a silent smirk at me before turning back to the conversation just as I did.

For a moment, there was a different thought in my mind that didn't involve Weslin.

I began to replay my entire life with Sam by my side. I remembered sixth grade when the entire school wanted to take Becky Williams to the dance. He ruffled his hair, and he asked her to the dance, earning an acceptance. For an entire week, they were the "it" couple. At the dance, he spilled his punch on her dress, and she announced that they were done.

But that didn't matter.

Standing by my locker and waiting for my best friend to fail at asking the coolest girl in school to the dance, I watched a new part of Sam be born. I watched his confidence to stop being only on the soccer field, and I watched his suave manners begin to pay off for him. From that moment on, he could have any girl he wanted, and he always did.

Getting a girl was a sport to Sam, and it was a game he always won. He got the girls who were the hardest to get. He even added a few teachers from our school to his list of conquests. The girls never really meant much to him, and he always ended it pretty early on.

I had known that that suave womanizer part of him would die out one day, or at least our entire family hoped it would. And I had watched the end of an era of Sam getting everything he wanted. But now it was official.

In sixth grade, standing in the halls of our old middle school with a group of our guy friends waiting to see Sam fail, I watched that part of him be born. Now, so many years later, sitting in Aphrodite's mansion with Kate digging her nails into my arm, I watched as it died.

I realized that things were different, and they could never be the same. I began to think back to our apartment waiting for us in New York, and I wondered if it would ever feel like the same bachelor pad. I wondered if I would ever have to sit on the couch, listening as Sam gave me the same speech about how I was wasting my youth watching TV instead of going out to clubs and being wild and young.

The thoughts of my best friend swarmed in my head, distracting me from Aphrodite long enough to calm me. But then Aphrodite's mouth opened again.

"So, Swift, how did you meet these wonderful friends?" she asked, and Sam's grip on Swift's arm tightened a bit as she tried to calm herself before speaking.

"I met them when they were on their way to see Azul."

Weslin swarmed my mind, and my anger was back and stronger than ever.

"Oh, of course," Aphrodite smiled, and she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know if her ex-lover regretted his choice of not staying with her, of taking his parental duties more serious than her want for excitement, "How is he? Azul I mean."

"Sad," I answered before I even realized my mouth was opening.

"Is he?" Aphrodite was trying to fake pity, but she couldn't hide her triumph.

"Heartbroken."

"Oh, that is truly sad," Aphrodite tried, but she was grinning.

Kate looked to me, and I knew she could tell what I was about to. Her eyes were horrified, but she let go of me, giving me the approval to go.

"He was so sad. I just can't even describe it really. I mean, you could almost see his broken heart," I shook my head, and I was watching Aphrodite try to hide her smile as it got wider.

"That is horrible," Aphrodite shook her head.

"I guess I would be the same in that situation."

"In what situation?" Aphrodite needed to hear the confirmation that he was desperate to take back his choice of losing her.

"If the mother of my child decided that her new boyfriend was more important than our daughter's birthday."

The words were sharp enough to cut your heart out.

Aphrodite's eyes widened, and her mouth stayed shut as she looked at me, silently cursing the day I was born.

"She was dressed up for her birthday, ready to see her mom," I stood, shoving the picture of Weslin on her birthday at Aphrodite, "And she was hurt that she never showed up. She knew why, too. She knew it was him."

Aphrodite was running her fingers over the picture.

"She is grown up…" Aphrodite frowned, shocked.

"She turned _ten_. You might be immortal, but eons can never bring back that little girl's birthday," I was angry, and I couldn't stop myself, "She had a sketchbook. A sketchbook she never showed anyone else before. She wanted to show it to _you._"

Aphrodite's eyes looked up to me, and I saw that they were watering.

"She sat in the grass of the replica of the home you raised her in, and she told me everything. She told me how you went to your daughter's wedding and your granddaughter's birthday. But that you didn't come see her. She told me about how much she wished she could go back to that time when you two were together, when you were raising her in that home. She told me how much she wanted _you._"

I was done.

My ammunition was spent, and I had done my damage.

I started to walk out, and Kate jumped up, her hand on my arm again as we began to hurry away from the parlor.

We walked at a fast pace, trying to get away from Aphrodite as fast as we could, and we didn't speak. But that didn't matter. She risked a goddess's wrath to walk out with me.

That was enough for me…

Finally, as we were getting close to our rooms, our pace began to slow, and we started to talk.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked me, still holding onto my arm, "You made the Goddess of Love cry after all."

"I'm fine," I squeezed her hand, "I'm sorry I did. I know I shouldn't have. I just couldn't help it."

"Come on. It was the right thing to do. She'll stop being mad eventually. You just might have to wait a while before you are given your perfect match," Kate laughed gently.

There was something mixed into the air in Aphrodite's mansion. It was more than the light smell of strawberries mixing with the sea air. It was love sweeping through the halls. It was a sudden desire to feel the perfection of love. It made you want to take chances you would never take before.

I suddenly wanted to tell Kate how I felt about her. That I had already found my perfect match, and that I could never live without her.

Panic was rising in me, suddenly showing me a life where I never told her. A life where I sat at the table for Thanksgiving and watched as she brought home guys to meet her family. A life where I was one of the family members she brought together to tell the big news of her engagement. A life where I would probably have to make a toast at her wedding, talking about how wonderful the couple was when I really hated them. A life where I would stand around at the hospital and bring her flowers the day that she gave birth to the child she always wanted.

I could suddenly see it all standing in these halls.

I could barely walk. I had to tell her.

"Kate," I stopped her, leaving us standing in front of her door.

She stopped, looking back at me expectantly, and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to say.

"I've wanted to tell you something…." I began nervously.

But Aphrodite was not going to let me have it. I had made her too angry for her to let me tell Kate how I felt. I would have to keep it suppressed and live with the torture a bit longer.

Suddenly, Kate's door opened, and the servants rushed out.

One started looking at her hair while another inspected her dress.

"Oh, you need to get changed now!" they began to pull on her.

"But-but I was talking-"

"You can talk to him later," they pulled inside and closed the doors.

I stopped, shocked and frozen, and I slowly began to walk to my room.

_**Kate,**_

The servants hurried me out of my gown, washing out the hairspray in my hair. They scrubbed off my make-up, taking a layer of skin with it. They took off the fake eyelashes, took off my painful shoes, and ripped off the body tape I had been using to make sure my dress stayed where it was supposed to.

And all of it was painful. They pulled my hair when washing it. As I already said, they took off a layer of skin washing my face. They pulled too hard when taking off the eyelashes, and they stubbed my toe as they took off the shoes. And my skin was red from where they took off the body tape.

When the servants left, there were only small traces off their work. My newly reshaped eyebrows. My almost hairless body. My painted nails. And the small trace of glitter on my arms.

It felt strange to be back to the Kate I knew myself as after being the super sexy Kate for a while.

Now, I was back to myself.

I wasn't the sexy Kate holding onto Noah's arm, keeping him from doing something he would regret. I was just Kate, sitting in her room with wet hair, no make-up, wearing a pair of pink pajamas.

I kept thinking back to Noah and how he had stopped me in the hall. My mind was reeling as I began to wonder what he had been about to say. I hadn't seen that look in his eyes, such nervousness. And I had seen him in some pretty nervous situations over the years…

Immediately, my mind flew back to the feelings I had been harboring for him since I was seventeen years old. I thought to the love I felt for him that had been torturing me for years. I thought of the dreams I kept tucked away inside of me, praying that Noah would feel the same way.

No, that wasn't it…

I wanted it to be that though, and that made me jump and cling to the hope that it was. But I knew I was wrong. I knew that he didn't love me, no matter how much I loved him.

Suddenly, I felt hollow and sick. The delicious Camp Half-Blood strawberries (which were the sweetest you could imagine) covered in decadent chocolate sitting on a table didn't help me. In fact, it felt as though it was climbing its way back up my throat. The flute of Champaign that refilled every time I took a sip didn't help me relax. It was just making things seem a bit hazier and dimmer

My mind was racing, and I needed to stop thinking about it. But, in reality, I didn't really want to.

I didn't want to stop thinking about Noah because, no matter how much it hurt that he didn't love me and never would, it still made me happy to think about him. I loved him, and I wanted to think about him as much as I did. Though I would never admit it, there was a part of me that loved my predicament. While it hurt me every day, it still gave me love. It gave me feelings that were strong and real. There was a part of me that loved loving him, and there always would be. Love hurt like Hades, but it was soothed just by a simple smile from the person who hurt you to make you forgive them for the pain your unrequited love gave you.

I would never have this with someone else. This was my Noah Love.

This belonged to Noah and Noah alone. It always would. There would always be this part of me that would remain devoted to him, that would always love him, and that would bring me joy just from seeing his smile.

Knowing I couldn't push it away, I did the one thing I felt I could do.

I sat down at the power pink desk, and I took out my laptop, powering it on and logging onto my email account.

I ignored the typical things like newsletters, camp updates from friends, and messages from worried family members who were trying to remain upbeat by acting like nothing was happening. My cursor went straight to creating a new message.

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules4**

**I haven't spoken to you in a long time. Too long…**

**I have no excuse really. I got busy, and I just didn't take the time to send anything to you. Now, it is late, and I am crawling back. Pretty fair, eh? **

**Things with Green seem to be getting worse. Or maybe better. It depends on who you are.**

**I love him. I know that now, and I really don't feel bad about it. I'm not even sure that I wish I didn't love him. I only wish that we weren't like this. That he would stop seeing me as a sister…**

**How have you been? How is Dianna?**

**-Pixar**

I pressed send, and I found myself stopping and staring at the website that I used for my email. I was waiting for the sudden light to come on and for it to tell me that he had responded.

I knew that he probably wouldn't have for a little while given how long it had been since I had last spoken to him. After all, I seemed to only talk to him when I was bored and had lost Noah's conversation. I wouldn't be happy with talking to me either.

I was about to log off and give up on all of this when I suddenly saw the little alert telling me that I had just gotten a response.

**To: PixarRules4**

**From: SoccerGuy18**

**It has been far too long, Pixar. I got busy, too, and I guess I just kept forgetting. So, it wasn't just you, and you don't owe me an apology.**

**Dianna…**

**I've known I loved her, but this trip with her seemed to throw it in focus. I suddenly realized how much I needed her. I knew I wanted her, but I never really noticed how much I **_**needed**_** her.**

**Tonight, I almost told her I loved her.**

**But then she went to bed instead, and so did I.**

**Life just keeps pulling us in different directions when I want to tell her, and I wonder if that is a sign, telling me that she doesn't feel the same way and that I shouldn't screw up our relationship.**

**I don't know, but that doesn't matter.**

**Let's talk about something different.**

**I want to hear about Pixar. How have you been?**

I smiled, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I began to type.

**To: SoccerGuy18**

**From: PixarRules6**

**I've been-**

I stopped typing as I began to think about the past few days. I thought back to Weslin and how it hurt us all to see such a great little girl so hurt. I thought back to the perfect dream and how it felt to be ripped from it. I thought about the panic that rose in me every time I thought of the fact that I could lose Charlie any day now.

My fingers went back to typing.

**I've been a little out of it, but I'm happy now. I'm talking to you.**

**How have you been, SoccerGuy?**

I pressed send.

_**No One' POV,**_

After Noah's explosive departure from the parlor, there was an awkward silence of those left in the rubble. Everyone was equally shocked by what had just transpired.

Andrew was shocked to find out that his beautiful lover had a daughter and was a deadbeat parent, especially considering they had spent this weekend sitting by the coast with their arms entwined talking about the possibility of taking all of their love and making a child. He was suddenly a bit wary of Aphrodite, wondering if he would one day be the single parent waiting on his ex to come and see their child for her just to call in with a lame excuse and go see her new young boyfriend.

Aphrodite was shocked by the fact that Noah risked her wrath to let her know all of this. Part of her was insulted, embarrassed, and utterly ready to give him Hades for it. But, at the same time, she found herself respecting him for it. She couldn't stop thinking about that beautiful little baby she had rocked to sleep on the Greek island they had made their home for so long. Looking at the picture, she knew it was her. But how did that happen? She was just a little baby, she wasn't supposed to grow up. Aphrodite began to think about how much she had missed…

But, for the two people sitting on the power pink loveseat, their shock didn't belong to Noah.

Of course, it was shocking that Noah risked the wrath of the goddess of love. It was a terrible choice for someone who aspired to one day get married and have children, but, after all, they had known how mad he was about it. They also knew that Aphrodite seemed to appreciate his honesty in some way. So, it seemed to them as though everything would be okay in the end.

They were both reeling at something, and it had nothing to do with Noah and Kate's dramatic moment tonight.

And it had everything to do with Sam's hand wrapped around Swift's arm. It had everything to do with the fact that, when she was freaking out, his hand just went to her arm automatically without any worry or awkwardness. It had everything to do with the fact that it _worked_, it calmed her. And it had everything to do with the fact that, even though she had already calmed down, his hand was still wrapped around her arm and neither of them wanted that to stop.

In his life, Sam had dated _a lot_ of girls. That was always a pride to him. It never involved love. Over the years, it just became a game, and he always won. He got any girl he wanted, and, once he got them, he didn't really care anymore. He had truly and deeply cared for one girl in all of that time. Her name was Jessica, and it was in tenth grade. They lasted for six months before her jealousy and worry that he was cheating on her got the best of them. Since, he had never really cared about any girl.

And now Jessica was completely blown out of the water.

Sam had never felt anything like what he felt for Swift, and it scared him to death.

Swift didn't believe in love at all.

Her parents loved each other. Her mother was going to run off, and Apollo was going to take care of her and their child for the rest of their life. Instead, Swift's grandfather found off, and he immediately hid the pregnancy and had Swift scheduled to be adopted. Her mother was who-knows where with who-knows-who. The only thing that mattered was that the promises were empty and things didn't work out.

Swift was never going to be that girl who loved someone. She wasn't going to get married and have kids. She was not going to drop her child off at kindergarten and make lunch boxes for school.

Part of her wanted it, but it wasn't going to happen.

She was going to stay right where she was. She was going to work at her dangerous job. She was going to keep her secrets. She going to have her baby brother as her only confidant during it all.

But Swift's rules were being broken. Things were happening that she thought never would.

Swift didn't have a crush on Sam. She didn't just want to get in his pants. She didn't just want to add him to a list of guys that would always want her but would never have her.

Swift actually loved Sam…

And she hated it.

"If you excuse me," Aphrodite stood, breaking the silence, "I need to make a call."

The goddess quickly hurried out, leaving her stunned boyfriend sitting on the loveseat.

"We should go," Sam looked to Swift, and she nodded, standing up with him. His hand had left her arm, and she felt a sort of absence without it.

As they left, they both grabbed a drink as they walked away.

Swift took a long gulp of the Champaign, in desperate need of something alcoholic to keep her from a break down due to all of her rules being broken for Sam, the complete opposite of someone they should be broken for.

Sam's hands were shaking as they walked together, and he took a sip of his drink, trying to calm himself.

It was only a girl. He had gotten girls before. He knew how to do this.

But all of his tricks weren't coming to him. His confident was failing. And he was being pathetic instead of suave.

As they reached her door, Sam looked at her nervously. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to tell her how he felt. He wanted to do something. But he felt frozen.

Swift waited, trying to see what would happen. Her heart was beating harder than it ever had, and she was more nervous than she had been in her entire life of working as an elite Roman agent, doing all of the dirty work that was too controversial to be known of. She wanted to kiss him so bad, but she was too scared.

"Swift-" Sam began, nervously working up his courage to tell her how he felt.

Then her door open, and servants came rushing out, ready to get her undressed and ready for bed.

Swift glared at them, a true Swift glare that had could strike fear into the heart of Mars.

The two servants stopped, looking at her as they considered it, and they stayed quiet as they slowly began to walk away, Swift's glare following them to make sure that they didn't turn back and ruin the moment once more.

Once they were gone, Swift looked back to Sam, desperate for him to continue.

"Well, Swift," Sam blushed, his hands shaking again out of fear, and suddenly his half-full flute of Champaign emptied out on Swift's black dress.

She gasped from the sudden wet feeling of the drink touching her skin, and he blushed, completely mortified. He grabbed the pocket square that had been delicately arranged by a servant of Aphrodite, and he began to dab her torso that was now covered in Champaign.

"I am so sorry," Sam kept repeating, his cheeks the shade of a tomato.

He couldn't believe that this was happening to him. Sam was never this pathetic or embarrassing. That was Noah… Sam got the girl easily. He wooed them. They were the ones who were adorably clumsy around him.

If Sam could have, he would have curled up and died just about then.

"No, no, it's fine," Swift suddenly realized how close he was, and he glanced up at her, still shell-shocked by her beauty.

Logically, she was not his type. He usually went for the bleach-blonde girl with a new little improvements from a plastic surgeon that made her a bit more endowed than she was previously.

But, to Sam, Swift was the most beautiful girl in the entire world…

"S-Swift?" he managed, his hands still resting on her torso.

"Yes?" she looked down at him, her voice clear of intimidation and full of nervousness.

"I-I," Sam got closer to her, his nose just centimeters from hers. Her could smell the Champaign on her breath, the chemicals in the hairspray they used on her, and the faint smell of the gentle perfume they had sprayed on her.

His fingertips brushed across her cheeks, making her shiver as she continued to look up at him.

Sam broke the space, needing to be closer to her, and he put his forehead against hers.

Swift took it all in. The way his skin felt. The way his blonde hair fell on her. The way his cologne mixed with the smell of his minty toothpaste and the Champaign they had all been drinking. She even loved the sound of his breathing.

His voice was barely a whisper, so gentle that Swift almost didn't hear it.

"I think I love you…."

Swift pulled her forehead away from his, still close as she looked at him.

"Y-You do?"

Sam's face fell, and he began to pull away, suddenly feeling sick. He felt what he had always feared, rejection. He had felt it a few times, but it was a million times worse. It was rejection from the woman he loved, from the woman who was breaking all of the rules.

Swift grabbed onto his arm, keeping him from pulling completely away.

"I love you, too," she whispered, almost crying.

Another thing about Swift. She most certainly did not _cry_.

Sam smiled wider than he thought he could, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. His lips gently touched hers, and he softly kissed her deeply.

Swift's hands opened the door gently, continuing to kiss him as she pulled him through the door with her.

* * *

_**Well, there is the big surprise. They are together. And I did not lie. A couple did get together. Just not the one you were thinking of ;)**_

_**All in all, you should be pretty happy with this chapter.**_

_**There was emailing. It was long. A fast update. And a couple you all liked got together.**_

_**How was the third person thing?**_

_**By the way, has anyone ever seen The Truman Show? My parents turned it on for me, and I am now completely addicted.**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Sam,**_

I woke up to pink. _Everywhere. _

The powder pink curtains changed the color of the sunlight pouring in through the many windows of the pink-themed suite. The sheets were white, and a pink, silky comforter was on top of me. The walls were pink-tinted with pink art and pink furniture.

I felt like I was going to be sick from all of the color, and I leaned back onto the bed, closing my eyes. With my eyes closed, things were easier. I just felt the soft sheets and the silky bedspread. I felt the gentle breeze and smelled the strawberry scent in the air.

I didn't care about the room though. I didn't care about all of the pink. Or the strawberry air. Or the sweet breeze. Or even the sound of birds chirping outside of the window.

I cared about her soft skin as she curled around me. I cared about the feeling of her silky hair on my chest. I cared about the way it felt as she breathed against me. I cared about the way that she let out little, cute "Hmmm"s as she slept.

My eyes blinked open again, playing with her black curls. I found myself smiling wider than I had in a long time. I began to question if I had ever felt this happy before.

The only thing that I could compare it to was a day when I was eighteen. I sat alone in my childhood room, looking around to the place I knew I would be leaving soon. I had three Ivy League acceptance letters sitting on my bed that I would get with a soccer scholarship. They were great offers, and I knew that people would be proud of me. It was a good route to go, but I wanted soccer, not school. I had been on my bed, my phone buzzing with whatever girlfriend I had been fooling around with at the time, but I was ignoring it. It got another call, and I reached for it, prepared to tell her to leave me alone and make up some excuse to go with it. But, instead, I got a job offer to work with the New York team that I was still working with.

That night, I went out with Noah, and we got completely drunk at a party. The next morning, I woke up with a horrible hangover and a text breaking up with me and calling me a few choice names from that then-girlfriend, claiming that I apparently cheated on her though I didn't remember.

As I thought about it, more time went on with her. She let out more cute noises, curled around me tighter, and I played with her hair more. After that, I realized that this moment beat out that day by a lot…

Her crystal blue eyes began to blink open, and she looked up at me as if silently questioning if I would still be as happy as I had been last night.

"You're cute when you sleep," I whispered, laughing a bit as I kissed her forehead.

Her smile spread, and she playfully stuck her tongue out.

"Don't call me cute."

"But you're soo cute, Theodora," I teased, hugging her close to me as I put my cheek against hers.

"Please forget my name," she shut her eyes, shaking her head gently.

"I like it," my voice was less playful as I kept playing with her hair, "It is much cooler than just the simple Sam. Mine is normal. Lame."

"I like _your name_. I made up a nickname to get away from mine," she put her head on my shoulder.

"Well, I will call you Theodora," I smiled, kissing her cheek.

I had never been like this with a girl. When I woke up with a girl in my bed (which I will admit happens a lot more than I would like to admit), I typically kissed them, smiled, and then got out of bed and got on with my morning. Sometimes, I would even tell them something about how they should probably get up before my roommate got up because it would be awkward.

But, with Swift, I never wanted to get out of bed. I never wanted to get started with everything by getting dressed and hiding this from everyone.

Swift smiled, and her face suddenly fell.

"Should you?" she looked to me suddenly, and I knit my eyebrows in confusion.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Are we letting everyone know or anything?" Swift suddenly seemed a bit nervous, and it was shocking to see. Swift was always confident and sure of herself. She knew what to do, and she typically saw me as a waste of time. Or she acted like she did…

I liked seeing her like this for some reason. I didn't want her to be nervous of course, but I loved the fact that she didn't pretend with me. She didn't pull on the act and particularly happened to see me as more than an embarrassing guy who thought he was a "playa".

"Are we?" I thought about what would happen if we did, and I wasn't sure how it would go.

"I mean, I guess we should, but… is now the time?" Swift looked to me, and I could tell that we were both leaning to keeping it a secret. I didn't want to though.

I wanted to do this all the time. To have her in the bed with me every night. To tease her and call her cute all the time. To calling her Theodora and playing with her hair.

I pulled Swift closer to me, rubbing her back as I looked to her.

"What do you mean is now the time?"

Swift stopped, trying to figure out what to say. Finally, she seemed to have something.

"Charlie. I mean, should people be focusing on us when we need to focus on her?" she looked up to me, and I frowned, putting my chin on his forehead. My hands began to run up and down her spine. She tucked her head in my neck, and I closed my eyes as I thought about it.

"What would we even say?" I laughed softly, and she let out a cute little chuckle.

"My brother will probably try to give you death glares," Swift laughed harder, and I found myself laughing as I imagined Aiden sitting at breakfast this morning, glaring as he ate what would probably be pink food.

"Yeah, but your brother scares me a little bit," I laughed.

"He is _fifteen_."

"You don't know the kind of stuff I did when I was fifteen," I shook my head gently as I pulled away from Swift, putting my head against the soft pink headboard.

"I've heard a lot of the stuff you've pulled," Swift looked at me with a look that told me that I had not succeeded in trying to hide my "playa" past.

I laughed as I began to think back to my past. I had fit in very well to the stereotype of rich kid who can get anything (and any girl) he wants. My dad was co-owner of the largest and most successful architectural companies in the world, and I was nephew to the famous Annabeth Chase who had been known partially for her love life. I smiled for the cameras and even spent my sophomore year deciding to date famous girls, and I dated _a lot of them_ before deciding that I was tired of being slammed in the magazines instead of just on Facebook by my exes.

"And then some girl went and ruined it," I ran my fingers through her silky black hair, "I think maybe you know her."

Swift smiled at me, and I began to question what I had done for Aphrodite that had made her bless me so much.

Swift was literally the opposite of my type. She had a serious job that was actually important instead of just using Daddy's credit card to pay the bills while she tried to get famous. She was smart and actually held a possible conversation instead of me not paying attention while I was being told all about the latest Kim Kardashian gossip. She was beautiful, which was the norm for me, but it was a different kind of beautiful. She was just gorgeous and naturally so instead of the bleach-blonde, surgically-enhanced girls I dated before. And she wasn't desperate to have me.

I shouldn't have been interested in her. I shouldn't of paid her any attention. I shouldn't have fallen in love with her. But I did.

"I was a heartless Roman soldier who didn't care about anyone but her younger brother," she laughed, "And some blonde guy just screwed it up."

"I think I know that guy. Total jerk," I kissed her gently, and she smiled into my lips before pulling away.

"Don't get this all started. We need to get up," she began to sit up, and I pouted.

"Getting up is boring," I whimpered, and she laughed, kissing my nose.

"We'll find time," she whispered in my ear, and I raised my eyebrows at her as she sat up, getting out of the bed and going to find her clothes.

Swift's slim figure went to the clothes hanging up, and I had to admit that I was pretty happy with Aphrodite's choice. Swift pulled on a blue short-sleeve shirt and high-wasted black shorts, and she turned back to me, holding up a hanger of guy's jeans, a blazer, and button-up shirt.

"I think Aphrodite might have planned this," she held out the clothes for me, and I took them as I kissed her cheek. I began to wonder if a servant had come in here and found us both naked in the bed, and I shoved the thought out of my mind as I began to get dressed.

Swift began to squirm, trying to hide some of her tattoos, and I frowned as I pulled her into my arms.

"I love your tattoos," I whispered against her skin as I kissed the tattoo of angel wings on her neck, "Don't hide them."

Swift smiled, and she stopped trying to pull her shorts down enough to hide the eternity symbol on her thigh which she told me she got there because someone stabbed her. She survived when no one thought she would, and she put the tattoo there to show that she would keep living on no matter who tried that again.

I didn't like the idea of her doing such a dangerous job. I wasn't sure I could ever sit around not knowing where she was or what she was doing for weeks at a time. I wasn't sure that I could ever spend my days holding onto my phone waiting for a call to tell me that she was hurt or dead.

I closed my eyes, and my fingertips ran over the tattoo on her thigh.

"I thought I said we shouldn't start that," Swift laughed gently.

I smiled a bit and kissed her cheek.

"I know, I know… I just can't imagine someone trying to kill you…" I shrugged, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'm fine," she gripped onto my hand, squeezing it, "Let's go to breakfast."

_**Charlie,**_

California was always a part of my life whether I liked it or not.

My mother's family lived in San Francisco, and we often had to come back to California for holidays. My two uncles, Bobby and Matthew, both continued to live in San Francisco. Bobby was married with two children, Jared (2) and Alice (6). And Matthew was a scholar, who like my grandfather, found the love of his life in college and lost her. Six months after their daughter, Pippa (now 16) was born, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. After her death, he never remarried or even really dated from what I knew.

My mother hadn't ever been very close with her family until she was about twenty-two when she and my dad split the first time. She moved back to California, and they got closer while there. While she still did not like my grandmother, who I also was not close to, she still loved the rest of our family. So we went to see them.

And then there was Noah and his mom. When Noah was about thirteen, his mom moved to LA. She was now married to Henry Alexander, and Noah had to go and see them. I never did as his mom didn't like me and my parents hated Henry. It was also awkward to go to see Henry when there was once a worry that I was his child.

Then there were the family friends who lived in New Rome.

We came to California a lot, and we always had.

But California wasn't the same this time. The air that had once been refreshing was now sickening. Every step on California land was full of dread, and the feeling of a vacation I always felt when here had evaporated into a sense of impending doom.

And, for just a little while on the rooftop garden of Aphrodite's estate, that slipped away.

The air was full of strawberries and sweet flowers, a combination that was so sweet that it could have given you a headache. The breeze was back, whistling in your ear, and there was a feeling of freedom. We were free from Aphrodite even if we weren't free from our quest, and that was still a step-up from an hour before when we were confined to an awkward dinner with her.

Honestly, I wasn't even sure if it was being free or the relaxation after a long dinner or if it was the guy I spent my time with.

I hadn't known Aiden long, but I knew him well. And he knew me well. We were friends, we were great friends. I guess, other than Emily-Rose, I had not had that many friends that I truly let close to me. I had friends, yes.

Emily-Rose had always taken top prize as best friend, but now I honestly wasn't so sure. Aiden was creeping up to that level fast, and I thought I wouldn't like it. But I did.

"Are you wearing _pink_?" I heard a smirk from beside me, and I glanced over to see Chester standing there.

I was wearing pink. It had been left in my closet, and my clothes from before had disappeared, leaving me just to wear what I had been given. It was fashionable and vintage, which I noticed was Aphrodite's latest thing. She had put me in a black dress with a pink vest with matching pink shoes.

Until Chester had said it, I hadn't much realized the fact that I had worn pink for the first time in the quest and probably the first time in a year.

I shrugged, and I glanced over at him.

His clothes had been updated, but he was still the same. He was still wearing mostly black, though his typical band tee shirt had been replaced with a red tee shirt. It was too hot for his leather jacket, and his baggy, black jeans had been switched for a pair of better fitting black slacks.

"You're not wearing a tee shirt involving a band. We are both dressed weird for us," I smiled a small smile, and he returned it a bit wider.

"Yes, but I am a good weird. Is pink good?" Chester asked, and I laughed a bit.

"According to Aphrodite, it is," I smirked.

When I woke up this morning, there had been a little pink card resting on the dresser telling me that breakfast would not be held in the dining room today. It would be on the terrace, and it would not be formal.

Everything was written so formally here. You wore ball gowns to dinner. You then went to the parlor for Champaign. You were escorted back to bed, and someone would undress you before you went to bed. There were cards to tell you where to go for breakfast, and there was a risk that the meal _would _be formal.

It was a lot to take.

I began to miss home where I typically was already in my pajamas by dinner. After dinner, I would put the dishes away, and we would typically go to the living room to check through the Instant Cue on Netflix for something to watch. If my brother came home for dinner, which was not uncommon, we would be sending him off or convincing him to stay in his old room, now converted into the guest room. I went to bed, and my parents stayed up for a while longer, my father sometimes catching up on the work he had been putting out. Breakfast concluded of my mother sitting on the countertop as she took her first chug of needed coffee and my father putting out blue waffles before going back to kiss my mom.

I wondered if Aphrodite ever wanted that.

I did.

I had it at home, and I was beginning to long for it.

When I got home, if I got home, I was ready to treasure everything at home. Breakfast. Family time. Sitting around with television. Visiting Chiron together. Emily-Rose talking about Kia as if he was the love of her life, though she never had the guts to ask him out.

Deep inside, I felt a sickening feeling that I would never get to treasure any of that. That, one day, no one could help me. That I would fail. That the woman in stone would get what she wanted.

"Good morning!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sunny and very loud voice of Aphrodite.

She was sitting on the terrace, a big pink sunhat sitting on her blonde curls perfectly. She had a pair of designer, peach-colored sunglasses perched on her nose, and a sexy but sweet pink dress hung perfectly on her body. Aphrodite was leaning back in the powder pink arm chair, letting the sun add to her perfect glow.

As she began to lean up, Aphrodite pulled off her sunglasses and motioned for us to sit at the table with us.

"Oh, Kate! Noah! Wonderful, you two are up!" she motioned for them quickly to sit at the round table at the seats where they could be underneath the shade of the pink umbrella.

"Good morning," Noah nodded, and he was smiling. But he didn't seem happy.

I could tell that his night had not been as good as mine.

Aphrodite watched him a bit more carefully, bringing her morning mimosa to her lips.

Aphrodite's new boyfriend sat beside her, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently. They began to exchange their hellos, and I looked away.

That was when I saw Aiden.

If I had not known it was Aiden, I really could have sworn that I was looking at an angel walking towards me. Aiden's golden blonde hair shimmered in the sun, and he ruffled it as he walked like something you saw in a movie when the hot guy shows up for his first scene. He pulled on a pair of sunglasses, and he had been dressed like the surfer boy that every girl secretly (or not so secretly) dreamed of.

How could Aiden be so amazing?

Aiden was the guy that you dreamed of, not the guy you actually knew.

Aiden didn't look at Chester as he came towards the table. He smiled, bid his polite hello to our host, and then he claimed his spot.

Right beside me.

I was shocked. Aiden did not glance at Chester since he was already beside me. Aiden just sat down beside me as if there was no reason why he shouldn't. And then he shocked me even more by talking to me immediately.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah, I slept great. How about you?" my body was now turned completely towards him, leaving my back to Chester without me realizing it. Chester began to talk to Noah, but I could feel the tension in the air. I didn't stop it though.

I continued to talk to Aiden. I stayed how I was. I was the reason for the tension, and I didn't stop it.

"Oh, Sam! Swift! You are here!"

I looked around and found the two of them walking towards us.

Sam looked strained, his hands shoved in his pockets, and he seemed to be more aware of things. Sam looked _nervous_, which was pretty rare for Sam. I never saw him nervous.

And Swift looked…

She looked like Swift. She was calm, collected. Not too happy. Not too upset. Just normal.

But different.

This moment felt weird. Wrong maybe.

"Good morning," Swift sat beside Chester, and Sam was beside Noah.

They were beside each other, and Sam was relaxing, talking to Noah. It was as if nothing was wrong, but something was most certainly wrong.

Aphrodite snapped for breakfast to be served, and we were all waited on very diligently. Drinks were flowing. Food was everywhere. The sun was perfect, bright but not in your eyes. The temperature was comfortable and not too hot.

Just like everything at the mansion of Aphrodite, things were perfect.

I longed for imperfections as I looked around. A part of the lawn not lush or green. A few leaves in the pool. A chip in the pink paint of the mansion. Something spilled on the floor. A stain on the chairs. Anything.

But nothing.

_That is the imperfection,_ I thought to myself, _that everything is perfect._

"So, I was thinking, and I think that the boys should go golfing. And I will take the girls into town for some shopping today. Get some tea. Have a little lunch. Get manicures," Aphrodite began, and Swift brought the drinks up to her lips, taking a long gulp. For a second, I thought I saw Sam's hand slip down to her, but I wasn't sure.

"I think we'll be heading out today," Sam looked around, and Noah quickly nodded.

"I think so. We need to be getting on. I wish we could stay," Noah shook his head, but no one was actually _buying_ it.

Aphrodite didn't really seem that sad either. I wondered what happened last night…

"What I shame," Aphrodite pouted, "Well, we shall enjoy what time we have now!"

* * *

_**Not long, but I needed to get this chapter out.**_

_**I am so sorry it took so long. I got my laptop taken away for a week, and I still kind of have restrictions. Don't ask why, long story I **_**really**_** do not want to get into.**_

_**Ooh, but I also got a Tumblr finally. Please follow me. I don't really do much, but I do have one. And I want to get into Tumblr. My blog is under HAWTgeek or HAWTgeek524, not sure which. **_

_**By the way, I am working on a new kind of Fanfiction (which I have written a few pages of in a notebook while I didn't have my laptop) . It will be… well, a pairing of me (almost me, a few things changed and not my real name) and Logan Lerman. But it will actually be good, I can tell you that. I will post it on Wattpad because I want to try it, but I may move it here. I will tell you when I put it up, but I am actually kind of excited about it.**_


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